HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Surveillance Devices

Norman Baker: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how much has been spent on surveillance devices used on the parliamentary estate in each of the last five years.

Nick Harvey: It is not the policy of the Commission to comment on security matters.

SCOTLAND

Departmental Statistics

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland which statistics have been put forward by his Department for consideration to become new national statistics in each of the last five years; and how many statistics sets his Department has produced in total in each of the last five years.

David Cairns: The Scotland Office was established in 1999 to assist the Secretary of State for Scotland in his functions and duties. These mainly relate to constitutional affairs and, as such, there is no history of the Scotland Office producing statistics sets for national statistics, or otherwise.

Freedom of Information

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many Freedom of Information requests have been made to his Department in each month since March 2006.

David Cairns: The information is as follows:
	
		
			   Number of FOI requests 
			 March 1 
			 April 3 
			 May 4 
			 June 0 
			 July 8 
			 August 2 
			 September 6 
			 October 6 
			 November (As at 28 November) 8

Public Appointments

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland which public appointments have been made by his Department to former Ministers who have served in the Government since May 1997.

David Cairns: None.

TRANSPORT

First Great Western

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what First Great Western Trains' public service requirements are in relation to peak time services provision between Cardiff Central and Swansea during 5pm to 6pm.

Tom Harris: The service level commitment 2 ('SLC2') for the First Great Western franchise is available in the House of Commons Library.

Rail Freight

David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department is taking to increase the proportion of freight carried by rail.

Tom Harris: I refer my hon. Friend to the written statement the then Secretary of State for Transport made to the House on 19 July 2005,  Official Report, columns 71-73WS, setting out the Government's policy towards rail freight.

Rail Overcrowding

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what limits exist on the number of passengers allowed in train carriages; what steps are taken to enforce such limits; and what penalties are imposed on companies who break such limits.

Tom Harris: There is no legal limit on the number of passengers that can travel in any given train coach.
	Trains are designed to operate effectively and safely when fully loaded.

WALES

Departmental Staff

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many value for money exercises on the use of  (a) management consultants and  (b) professional advisers were conducted by his Department in each of the last five years for which information is available; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Hain: None.

Tax Rates

David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what estimate he has made of the effect on the Welsh economy of tax rates in the Republic of Ireland.

Nick Ainger: Wales has tax parity with the rest of the UK and tax is a reserved matter for the Chancellor to determine. No specific Government study has been made into the impact on the Welsh economy of tax rates in the Republic of Ireland.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Anti-terror Legislation

Ben Wallace: To ask the Solicitor-General where the Crown Prosecution Service has visited on its national tour to areas with high Muslim populations to explain and demystify the anti-terror legislation; where else it will be visiting; and when the tour will conclude.

Mike O'Brien: In early November, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) concluded in early November the first round of 'Listening Reassurance and Information' events with Muslim communities. These events took place in London; the west midlands; Greater Manchester; Cardiff; West Yorkshire; Lancashire; Bedfordshire; and Leicestershire. The purpose of these events was to provide information on the prosecution of racist and religious crimes, incitement to racial hatred cases and terrorist cases. Through these events the CPS reached over 350 groups and individuals working with Muslim communities. The events will now be evaluated with a view to informing a further series in 2007-08. The further events, in areas yet to be determined, are expected to run on a quarterly basis throughout 2007-08. The events will be kept under active review in terms of the need for an ongoing programme.

Crown Prosecution Service

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Solicitor-General what the budget was for the Crown Prosecution Service in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: The following table shows the total expenditure of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) for the last five years. The CPS has received an increase in funding over the period to support the Department's modernisation and reform programme; an increasing workload; the implementation of statutory charging; and the increasing role the Department now plays in supporting victims and witnesses.
	
		
			   Total net expenditure () 
			 2001-02 427,975 
			 2002-03 459,665 
			 2003-04 525,619 
			 2004-05 575,555 
			 2005-06 605,872

Crown Prosecution Service

David Davies: To ask the Solicitor-General how many cases have been handled to the Crown Prosecution Service by police for prosecution in the last five years; and how many resulted in a prosecution being initiated.

Mike O'Brien: The number of defendants whose cases were referred to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) by the police and completed in each of the last five years was as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2002-03 1,371,085 
			 2003-04 1,371,990 
			 2004-05 1,262,815 
			 2005-06 1,176,112 
			 2006-07 (April to September) 554,145 
		
	
	The volume of cases handled by the CPS has fallen in recent years. This is believed to be a direct and positive reflection of lower levels of crime and the introduction of penalty notices for disorder. Furthermore, the same period has seen an appreciable increase in the proportion of cases resulting in conviction. This is partly because of an initiative which means that, in most cases, the CPS has responsibility for deciding whether a person should be charged with a criminal offence and, if so, what that offence should be. The CPS has set performance targets providing for farther improvement in case outcomes in the future and it continues to work with its criminal justice system partners to ensure that these are delivered.

Magistrates Courts Case Workers

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Solicitor-General what the role is of designated magistrates courts case workers.

Mike O'Brien: Designated caseworkers (DCWs) are Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) staff who are empowered under section 7A of the Prosecution of Offences Act 1985 to conduct criminal proceedings in the magistrates courts. Their role is defined by legislation and by a set of general instructions issued by the Director of Public Prosecutions.
	DCWs currently review straightforward cases that are likely to result in guilty pleas and can conduct all types of hearings in the magistrates courts except trials, hearings involving complex legal or factual issues, and offences to be heard in the Crown court including those offences: triable only on indictment; for which the accused has elected to be tried by a jury; that the court has decided are more suitable to be tried by a jury; and when a notice of transfer has been given under section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1987 or section 53 of the Criminal Justice Act 1991.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Digital Switchover

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations she has received on the effect of the national switchover from analogue to digital radio and television by 2012 on greenhouse gas emissions; and if she will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: The Department has received no representations on this subject.

London Olympics

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many staff in her Department spend the majority of their time on work related to the 2012 Olympics; and what the pay band is of each of these staff members.

David Lammy: 37 full-time equivalent staff in my Department spend all or the majority of their time on work related to the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. These staff members fall into the Department's pay bands as follows:
	
		
			   Number of staff (FTE)  Pay band minimum ()  Pay band maximum () 
			 SCS pay band 3 1 98,000 205,000 
			 SCS pay band 2 1 80,000 160,000 
			 SCS pay band 1 3 55,000 116,000 
			 A(U) 3.5 48,000 62,000 
			 A 8.88 41,125 52,025 
			 B 14 26,500 34,675 
			 C 3 20,425 24,550 
			 D 3 16,150 19,885 
		
	
	In addition, there are a further eight individuals in my Department (comprising legal advisers, consultants, agency staff and a specialist adviser) who spend all or the majority of their time on work related to the 2012 games. These individuals do not fall into the Department's pay band structure.

Private Finance Initiatives

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the total capital value is of each private finance initiative scheme overseen by her Department which has reached financial close; over what period repayments will take place; and what the total cost of repayment will be in each case.

David Lammy: The Department currently leads on a total of 12 projects that have reached financial close.
	The Amber Valley leisure centre project has a total capital value of 22 million and was awarded a total of 17.5 million of DGMS PFI credits. The date of financial close was 12 April 2006, and payments commenced on 13 April 2006 for a period of 34 years.
	Bournemouth received 6 million of DCMS credits for a new build library project with a total capital value of 20.1 million. The project reached financial close on 10 August 2000 and payments commenced on 11 March 2002 for a period of 30 years.
	Breckland council's 15 million 'Making Connections' Leisure Project received 9.5 million worth of DCMS PFI credits. Having reached financial close on 18 November 2005, payments began on 19 December 2005 for a period of 32.5 years.
	Brent borough council's 16.66 million Willesden leisure centre received 14.3 million worth of DCMS PFI credits and reached financial close on 8 March 2005. Payments commenced on 1 November 2006 for a period of 25 years.
	Brighton and Hove's 11.93 million Jubilee library received 11.93 million worth of DCMS PFI credits. Financial close was reached on 21 October 2002 and payments began on 30 November 2004 for a period of 25 years.
	Croydon borough council received 4.6 million worth of DCMS credits towards its 24 million Ashburton Learning Village. Financial close was reached on 27 May 2004, with payments beginning in April 2006 for a period of 30 years.
	Lewisham borough council's 17.64 million lifestyle centre received 12.659 million in DCMS PFI credits, with financial close being reached on 9 September 2005 and a contract of 32 years duration.
	Oldham's 13.5 million library project received 13 million of DCMS PFI credits, reaching financial close on 28 May 2004. Payments commenced on 1 February 2006 for a period of 25 years.
	Penwith's 6.7 million leisure project received 6.4 million of DCMS PFI credits, and reached financial close, on 11 March 2003. Payments commenced on August 2005 for a period of 30 years.
	Sefton borough council's 6.2 million Crosby leisure centre received 6.2 million worth of DCMS PFI credits, reaching financial close on 19 September 2001, with payments commencing on 1 December 2002 for a period of 25 years.
	Uttlesford district council's 5.8 million sport and leisure centre received 5.8 million worth of DCMS PFI credits. Having reached financial close on 30 May 2002, payments began on 1 December 2002 for a period of 33 years.
	Wolverhampton's 13.352 million leisure centre received 10.9 million of PFI credits from DCMS, reaching financial close on 16 May 2005. Payments began on 1 December 2006 for a period of 30 years.

Special Advisers

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many of her Department's civil servants work full-time to support departmental special advisers; and what the salary is of each such civil servant.

David Lammy: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has one member of staff working full-time in supporting its special advisers. For reasons of confidentiality, we cannot disclose an individual's exact salary but can say that it falls within the Department's grade C pay range of 20,425-24,550.

DEFENCE

Armed Forces Pay Review Body

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library transcripts of oral evidence to the Armed Forces' Pay Review Body taken in preparation for its 35(th )report by the  (a) Chief of Defence Staff,  (b) Permanent Under-Secretary,  (c) Principal Personnel Officers (PPOs),  (d) Director of Reserve Forces and Cadets and  (e) Assistant Chief of Defence Staff (Reserves and Cadets).

Des Browne: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 20 March 2006,  Official Report, column 18W, by my right hon. Friend the Member for Airdrie and Shotts (John Reid).

Commonwealth Citizens

Alan Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make assistance available for Commonwealth citizens who have completed service with HM Forces to return to their home country.

Derek Twigg: Commonwealth citizens completing service with Her Majesty's Forces are not publicly funded to return to their home country. If discharged in the United Kingdom, they are funded to a point of departure from the UK. If discharged overseas, they receive funding equivalent to the notional costs of a move from their overseas unit to Catterick Garrison.

Dr. Paul Norman

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what dates Dr. Paul Norman  (a) started and  (b) stopped working at Porton Down; and what the nature of his work was.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 27 November 2006
	Dr. Paul Norman started work for the Chemical Defence Establishment at Porton Down, now part of the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, on 20 January 1986 and died in service on 27 June 2004. During his time at Porton Down Dr. Norman held many posts but his final appointment was that of Chief Scientist for Detection and Protection. In this role Dr. Norman advised the MOD on the content and quality of the chemical defence research programme.

Far East Prisoners of War

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the European Court ruling of 26 October 2006 on the Far East Prisoners of War Ex-Gratia Payment on the way future cases will be conducted.

Derek Twigg: On 26 October 2006, the European Court of Justice gave judgment in the case of Tas-Hagen (Case C-192/05). The Court held that European Community law does not allow a member state to have in place legislation under which its nationals would be refused a civilian war victim's benefit solely because, at the time of their application, they were resident, not in the territory of that member state, but in the territory of another member state.
	There is no requirement under the UK ex gratia payment scheme for former Far East Prisoners of War and civilian internees for claimants to be resident in the UK at the time at which their applications for payment are submitted. Nor is the Government aware of any cases where an applicant has been denied payment because he or she has exercised his or her rights of free movement within the European Union under Community law (Article 18 EC Treaty) since 1 November 1993 (when that Article came into force). We will be taking steps to inform those who might be affected and, if any such cases are identified, we will ensure that they have not been disadvantaged as a result of exercising the right to free movement provided under the Article.

Fatal Accident Inquiries

Alan Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence in respect of how many cases of deceased UK service personnel flown back from  (a) Iraq and  (b) Afghanistan to Scotland there have been fatal accident inquiries; and in how many cases such inquiries have not taken place.

Des Browne: Service personnel killed in Iraq and Afghanistan have been repatriated initially to England, normally to RAF Brize Norton. Consequently, they have come within the jurisdiction of the appropriate coroner, who convenes the necessary inquests. There have been no fatal accident inquiries in Scotland arising out of these deaths.

Project 21

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the remit is of Project 21; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: Project 21 is an internal exhibition about the Defence Intelligence Staff (DIS). Its purpose is to provide information to users of defence intelligence about the DIS, its roles and its capabilities in order to broaden their understanding.

Salisbury District Hospital

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many armed forces personnel were  (a) in-patients and  (b) out-patients at Salisbury District hospital in 2005.

Derek Twigg: The numbers of individuals treated at Salisbury District hospital in 2005 is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Service Personnel

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his Department's policy is on the publication of names of the British servicemen and women who have been honoured for service in Iraq or Afghanistan by the United States Administration.

Des Browne: The policy on the publication of the names of British servicemen and women who have been honoured for service in Iraq and Afghanistan follows precedent. The names of recipients of United States awards, which equate to British State Awards, are published in the London Gazette if unrestricted permission to wear the award has been received from the Sovereign. This policy, which dates from the second world war, applies equally to awards of other nations.

Service Personnel

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel were referred to the Priory Clinic in each rank as  (a) in-patients and  (b) out-patients in each of the last 12 months.

Derek Twigg: The number of service personnel referred in each of the last 12 months to a Priory Group facility for treatment is as follows:
	
		
			  Month  In-patient  Out-patient 
			 November 2005 28 0 
			 December 2005 20 0 
			 January 2006 26 0 
			 February 2006 19 0 
			 March 2006 42 0 
			 April 2006 21 0 
			 May 2006 23 0 
			 June 2006 31 3 
			 July 2006 17 3 
			 August 2006 17 2 
			 September 2006 32 3 
			 October 2006 24 5 
		
	
	Providing information by rank could only be obtained by accessing each individual's personal medical-in-confidence records and would risk identifying individuals in some cases.
	Routine out-patient treatment for service personnel is provided by the Defence Medical Services at their Departments of Community Mental Health. Exceptionally, where a consultant states that a patient requires a short course of out-patient follow-up or continuation of therapy (e.g. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) MOD may give authority for this to be delivered by the Priory Group.

Service Personnel

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether  (a) the families of members of the Armed Forces killed and  (b) members of the Armed Forces injured in (i) Iraq and (ii) Afghanistan before the completion of six months service in that country receive additional remuneration to offset their tax liability.

Des Browne: Service personnel who are killed or injured in Iraq or Afghanistan do not receive additional remuneration to offset their liability for tax. However, as I announced on 10 October, service personnel in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Balkans now receive a tax-free operational allowance that is paid as a lump sum at the end of their operational tour. The allowance is worth around 2,240 to personnel completing a six month operational tour, paid on a pro rata basis for longer or shorter tours, to ensure that the more junior personnel are compensated for their tax bill whilst deployed.
	If a service person who is eligible for the operational allowance is injured and/or hospitalised, either overseas or in the UK, they will continue to be paid the allowance for the planned length of their deployment. Also, if a service person in receipt of the allowance is declared dead, their pay account will be credited with the amount of operational allowance that would otherwise have been paid had they completed their planned deployment. This has been explained in the new regulations for the operational allowance that were finalised on 3 November and published to the armed forces on the same day. A copy of the regulations has been placed in the Library of the House.

Torture Allegations (Cyprus)

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the findings were of his investigation into allegations of torture conducted by a corporal in the Royal Highland Fusiliers at the Salt Lake outstation in Cyprus in January 2006; who conducted the investigation; and what the outcome was.

Derek Twigg: In October 2006 the Royal Military Police (Special Investigation Branch) investigated the content of a video, provided by a Sunday newspaper, purporting to show an assault in Cyprus earlier this year. A thorough investigation took place and concluded that there was no evidence of criminal activity. Those identified from the video independently confirmed that the video shows high jinks during an off-duty period with no malice intended. No complaints were lodged.

TSP04 Figures

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the 1 October 2006 TSP04 figures will be published.

Derek Twigg: TSP04 for 1 October 2006 was published at 9.30 am on 23 November 2006. It may be found at the following URL: http://www.dasa.mod.uk/natstats/tsp4/tsp4tabl.html. I will arrange for printed copies to be placed in the Library of the House.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Malawi

David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much Malawi received from  (a) his Department and  (b) British charities in each of the last five years.

Hilary Benn: The information is as follows.
	 (a) Total DFID bilateral aid to Malawi in each of the last five years is published in Table 12.1 of Statistics on International Development 2001-02 to 2005-06, a copy of which is available in the Library. The relevant information is reproduced in Table 1.
	
		
			  Table 1: Total DFID bilateral aid to Malawi 
			million 
			 2001-02 45.5 
			 2002-03 49.1 
			 2003-04 54.4 
			 2004-05 56.2 
			 2005-06 68.6 
		
	
	In addition, DFID provides aid to partner countries through the EC and by funding a range of multilateral organisations. The imputed UK share of aid to Malawi through these routes in the years 2000 to 2004 is shown in Table 2. More recent information is not yet available.
	
		
			  Table 2: Imputed UK share of EC and multilateral aid to Malawi 
			   million 
			   EC  Multilateral organisations  Total 
			 2000 7.3 4.1 11.3 
			 2001 7.7 5.7 13.4 
			 2002 4.2 1.7 5. 9 
			 2003 5.5 9.6 15.1 
			 2004 6.5 3.6 10.1 
		
	
	 (b) DFID does not collect, or centrally hold, information on the aggregate amount of money received by Malawi from British charities.

Sudan

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what additional aid he plans to make available to Eastern Sudan following the peace agreement.

Hilary Benn: The recent signing of the Eastern Sudan Peace Agreement presents an opportunity for all donors to take a fresh look at their support to the east. To this end, DFID recently participated in a multi-donor mission to Kassala and Red Sea State, meeting representatives of civil society and state Government. Donors are now in the process of considering options for future support.
	This year DFID will provide around 3 million in direct development and humanitarian assistance to Eastern Sudan. The funds are being spent principally on child nutrition, food security and social protection. Indirectly DFID channels funding to the east though the World Bank-managed Multi-Donor Trust Fund (health and community development projects) and the UN (livelihoods and food security). A significant element of EC funding in the east (livelihoods, water, and food security) is also attributable to UK contributions.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

World Trade Organisation

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions he has had with  (a) the EU Trade Commissioner and  (b) his international counterparts on the future of the World Trade Organisation.

Ian McCartney: Neither my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, nor myself have had any discussions on the future of the World Trade Organisation, with either Commissioner Mandelson or other international counterparts. The Government believe that the first priority must be securing an ambitious, pro-development outcome to the Doha Development Agenda.

Companies Act

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent assessment his Department has made of the cost to businesses of the Companies Act 2006.

Margaret Hodge: The Companies Act is good for business. It modernises and simplifies our law, and contains many significant deregulatory measures. We will ensure that it is implemented in a way which takes full account of business needs.
	Our latest assessment is that the Companies Act will help business save 250 million per year with 100 million of that being saved by small business.
	The first benefit will be in January 2007 when we will introduce the provisions which enable companies to use electronic communications rather than paper for certain purposes. We calculate that we will save businesses over 50 million.

Exports

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the capacity of small and medium-sized enterprises to increase the volume of their exports; and if he will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: The business success of SMEs underpins our national prosperity. 99.9 per cent. of UK businesses are SMEs. Some 21 per cent. of those are exporters. Of all the UK companies that trade internationally 90 per cent. of them are SMEs.
	SMEs continue to be a key client group for UKTI. UKTI offers a range of services to support SMEs trading internationally, including its flagship Passport to Export programme. Since the start of Passport in 2001 over 7,000 SMEs have been helped to start trading internationally. The programme will be further developed as part of UKTI's new strategy Prosperity in a Changing World.
	UKTI is also currently supporting seven Manchester based SMEs participating in a trade mission to Pakistan. The mission is still under way as I speak, visiting Karachi and Lahore.

Regional Development Agencies

Shahid Malik: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the contribution of the regional development agency for the Yorkshire region to the economy in the region.

Margaret Hodge: Of course we recognise the important contribution made by RDAs to support economic growth, business prosperity and sustainable jobs in their region.
	This is a Government determined to ensure that every individual, every family in every region in the country benefits from the long-term consistent economic growth enjoyed by this country.

Farepak

Christine Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what further action he has taken to help those affected by the collapse of Farepak.

Ian McCartney: I have laid a statement before the House setting out the latest position on Farepak. We continue to support vigorously the initiative of the Family Fund, to provide some assistance in time for Christmas, on a goodwill basis, for those who have been so badly affected.

Farepak

George Mudie: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps his Department is taking to help recoup the funds of those who saved with Farepak; and if he will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State cannot intervene in the conduct of an individual insolvency case. But it is the duty of the administrators to seek to recover as much as they can for the benefit of all the company's creditors. They also have a duty to report to the creditors and consult them concerning proposals for the administration.
	As a separate matter, DTI has sought to secure some assistance, on a goodwill basis, for those affected, which can be delivered in time for Christmas. We are very grateful for the assistance of the Family Funda long-established charity with extensive experience of delivering assistance to low-income familiesin setting up a dedicated voucher fund for this purpose. We strongly support this initiative.

Coal Industry Compensation

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he is taking to claw back money paid by his Department to UDM/Vendside.

Malcolm Wicks: The Department has asked the Union of Democratic Mineworkers for comments on their relationship with those solicitor firms to which they have referred work. They have not yet responded.

Banking

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will ask the Office of Fair Trading to investigate the introduction of charges for bank accounts.

Ian McCartney: The OFT considers that the retail banking market works well for consumers if bank charges are transparent, subject to effective competition and consistent with the principle of fairness. The structure of individual banks' charges is a matter for their own judgment, but the OFT may investigate and take appropriate action if there is evidence that charges are incompatible with the requirements of consumer or competition law.

Banking

Andy Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he is taking to ensure that all communities are served by bank branches and services; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Balls: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government recognises that lack of access to banking services imposes costs on those who can least afford them. In December 2004, the banks and the Government agreed to work together towards a goal of halving the number of adults in households without a bank account and of making significant progress within two years. In its first annual report, published in March, the Taskforce concluded that steady progress had been made, but encouraged the banks to continue to address the difficulties faced in opening a bank account.
	The Government also recognises the importance of access to cash at the Post Office for many. 25 different bank accounts, including all basic bank accounts, are currently accessible over the Post Office counter.
	In addition, an ATM working group chaired by John McFall MP is taking forward work on key issues in relation to ATMs, including the location of free and charging ATMs, particularly in deprived areas, and the transparency of signage. This working group is expected to report towards the end of this year.
	Government will report on next steps for the financial inclusion strategy in the new year.

Capital One

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what  (a) contracts his Department has had with and  (b) payments his Department has made to Capital One in each of the last five years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Over the last five years the Department of Trade and Industry has not made any contracts with, or made any payments to, Capital One.

Consumer Credit

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the effect of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 on the level of charges made by banks, credit card companies and store card operators; and if he will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: holding answer 29 November 2006
	The OFT have been looking at the question of penalty charges in respect of credit cards and have stated that they believed that such charges had been generally set at a significantly higher level than was considered fair and set a 12 threshold for OFT intervention unless there were exceptional business factors.
	The OFT is of the view that the broad principles do read across to the retail banking area and has decided to undertake further work on the application of these principles to bank current accounts. This fact-finding exercise is expected to take between three to six months, at which stage the OFT will consider whether a further detailed investigation of the fairness of individual bank default charges is needed.
	The issue of Store Cards has been examined by the Competition Commission who have found problems with the way store cards are set up and run. They have recommended that Store card credit providers mustwhere APRS are 25 per cent. or above, warn cardholders on monthly statements that cheaper credit may be available elsewhere, give more and better information on all monthly statements, offer the option to pay by direct debit and separate payment protection insurance from the PPI package and intend to implement these recommendations by statutory orders to take effect in March 2007.

Departmental Energy Use

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what percentage of the electricity used by his Department was generated from  (a) renewable sources and  (b) on-site microgeneration facilities in the last period for which figures are available.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department's HQ estate has bought electricity from renewable sources equating to 36 per cent. for the period 2005-06 of its HQ estate requirement compared to a target of 10 per cent. by 2008.
	The Department does not currently have any on-site microgeneration facilities on its HQ estate and therefore does not produce any energy from such a source.

Equal Pay

Stephen Hesford: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what research his Department has undertaken on how businesses assess the level of gender equity among the pay of their employees.

Meg Munn: I have been asked to reply.
	Government conducted the Workplace Employment Relations Survey (WERS) in 2004. Data was collected from managers and employees from over 3,000 workplaces to provide an up-to-date picture of the state of employment relations and working life in Britain. The findings and analysis of WERS 'Inside the Workplace: Findings from the 2004 Workplace Employment Relations Survey' was published earlier this year.
	The survey and analysis showed that job evaluation schemes are used by employers to help ensure that pay and grading systems in the workplace fairly reflect the skill requirements and responsibilities of the job. However, very few workplaces reviewed relative pay rates by gender.
	We have been taking active measures to work with businesses and employers to encourage the use of equal pay reviews as a tool for assessing the level of gender equity among the pay of their employees. This has included promoting voluntary equal pay reviews through the DTI Strategic Partnership initiative, which is supporting a team of Equal Pay Panel of Experts, led by the TUC. In taking forward the implementation of the Women and Work Commission's recommendations and as part of the Government Action Plan, the Women and Equality Unit is developing an 'equality check' tool that identifies where there might be a high risk of a problem on any of the range of issues that cause the gender pay gap.

European Union

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the financial effect on UK companies on  (a) EU membership and  (b) free trade within the EU;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the financial effects on UK companies of the EU single market.

Ian McCartney: Membership of the European Union is central to the pursuit of stability, growth and employment in the UK. Membership of the EU provides significant benefits for UK business and employment: Britain's trade with the European Union has grown from just over 40 per cent. of our total trade in 1973 when we joined to around 55 per cent. today, and the Government estimate 3 million jobs in the UK are linked to the export of goods and services to the EU. The European Single Market is the world's largest free trade area, providing UK businesses with the benefits of access to a market of 450 million consumers.

European Union

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the number of UK jobs dependent on  (a) free trade within the EU and  (b) membership of the EU.

Ian McCartney: The Government estimates that around three million jobs in the UK may be linked, directly and indirectly, to the export of goods and services to the European Union.

Exports Credits Guarantee Department

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the rolling Exports Credits Guarantee Department insurance cover negotiated to support Al Yamamah I and II will be continued to support the Eurofighter sale to Saudi Arabia; whether any additional or alternative ECGD cover for the sale  (a) has been and  (b) is being negotiated; and if he will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: The Export Credits Guarantee Department has recently agreed to renew insurance cover for sales of defence equipment and related services to Saudi Arabia, including the possible sale of Typhoon aircraft.

Fuel Poverty

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what targets he has set to abolish fuel poverty by 2010; what progress has been made; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: The target for England is, as far as reasonably practicable, to eradicate fuel poverty in vulnerable households (those containing the elderly, children, the disabled or someone with a long-term illness) by 2010.
	In 2004, the latest year for which figures are available, the number of households in fuel poverty was 1.2 million, 1 million of which were vulnerable. This was the same as 2003, and compares with 5.1 million English households in fuel poverty in 1996. However, our analysis suggests that increases in energy bills since 2004 are likely to lead to a rise of around 1 million English vulnerable households between 2004 and 2006.
	The Government's main programme for tackling fuel poverty in the private sector in England is the Warm Front Scheme, which is the responsibility of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Warm Front provides heating and energy efficiency measures for those on a range of qualifying benefits. It has helped over 1 million vulnerable households since 2000. The Government issues winter fuel payments, which provide pensioner households with significant help with fuel costs in the coldest months. It has committed itself to maintaining the payments for the duration of this Parliament. The Government are also engaged in a series of initiatives with energy suppliers and others to mitigate the effects of price rises on the fuel poor. This includes a joint initiative with suppliers to target assistance to vulnerable pensioner households.

Iran

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the value was of UK exports to Iran in each year since 1997; and what percentage of all UK exports each figure represents.

Ian McCartney: The data requested is shown in the following table:
	
		
			   UK exports of goods and services to Iran ( million)  As a percentage of total UK exports of goods and services 
			 1997 448 0.19 
			 1998 412 0.18 
			 1999 333 0.14 
			 2000 411 0.15 
			 2001 596 0.22 
			 2002 578 0.21 
			 2003 687 0.24 
			 2004 676 0.23 
			 2005 671 0.21 
			  Note: Balance of Payments basis.  Source: Pink Book 2006, Table 9.3

Mark II Prime Helipad

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the recent sale of a Vaughans of Leicester (Aerosystems) Mark II Prime Helipad to the government of Sudan; and what the circumstances were surrounding the granting of the export licence.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 28 November 2006
	On the basis of information made available to the Government by the exporter in question, I am satisfied that the helipad was not sold to the government of Sudan and that the end-user in this instance used the goods for humanitarian purposes.
	The goods in question are not covered by the UK Military List, or controlled otherwise by UK Strategic Export legislation, and therefore did not require an export licence.

Microgeneration

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans he has to introduce innovative fiscal incentives to support the growth of microgeneration.

John Healey: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government have already introduced a number of measures in support of microgeneration technologies. A reduced rate of VAT has been extended to all existing microgeneration technologies and Budget 2006 announced a further 50 million to enable installation of these technologies through the Low Carbon Buildings programme. In order to encourage business investment in energy-saving technologies the Government have also introduced enhanced capital allowances for some microgeneration technologies.
	All decisions on tax are made by the Chancellor and announced as part of the Budget process.

Microgeneration

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what response he has made to the report, Unlocking the Power House, on prospects for deployment of microgeneration technology, by the Economic and Social Research Council.

Malcolm Wicks: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State considers that the report Unlocking the Power House makes an important contribution to the growing body of research on the deployment of microgeneration technologies and will help to inform the development of the microgeneration aspects of the Energy White Paper.

Microgeneration

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what incentives he plans to introduce to promote micro-generation of electricity.

Malcolm Wicks: The DTI already incentivises microgeneration through the 80 million Low Carbon Buildings capital grant programme. Owners of electricity generating products can benefit from access to the monetary benefits of Renewable Obligation Certificates and also payment for electricity supplied to the distribution network. In addition, most microgeneration products also benefit from a 5 per cent. rate of VAT. We will continue to keep our incentives for microgeneration under review.
	The DTI published the Government's strategy for the promotion of microgeneration in March 2006. The strategy outlines measures aimed at tackling the barriers currently preventing widespread take-up of microgeneration.

Multinational Enterprises

Robert Walter: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he has taken to make UK companies aware of OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises.

Ian McCartney: The Government are fully committed to the promotion and implementation of the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises.
	In December 2004, the then Secretary of State for Trade and Industry wrote to the chief executives/chairs of all FTSE 100 companies drawing their attention to the guidelines and in October this year officials gave a presentation to the Anti-Corruption Committee of the UK Branch of International Chambers of Commerce. In addition, Departments take available opportunities to draw attention to the guidelines, for example in FCO presentations on corporate social responsibility to the UK business community at home and overseas. We have also revamped the National Contact Point (NCP) which promotes the guidelines to all stakeholders in the United Kingdom. The NCP will, in consultation with stakeholders, evaluate past promotional activities and draw up an awareness-raising strategy both here in the UK and overseas to coincide with both new literature and a new updated website and will maintain an ongoing dialogue with stake holders over its implementation.
	The Government want the revamped NCP to work with businesses, employees and other parties to deal with issues raised under the guidelines. We believe this approach will deliver a more open and transparent system in which all organisations can put their faith in encouraging responsible business practices.

National Consumer Council

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when the budget of the National Consumer Council for 2006-07 will be finalised; and if he will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: holding answer 27 November 2006
	The budget was finalised last month (see answer to parallel question 103261). I have nothing to add to the statement in the previous answer to this same question on 13 September 2006,  Official Report, column 2330W.

National Consumer Council

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what he expects the National Consumer Council's budget to be for 2006-07.

Ian McCartney: holding answer 27 November 2006
	This Department is only responsible for part of the budget of the National Consumer Council. The allocations issued to them are as follows.
	
		
			  2006-07   million 
			 Ceiling figure for grant-in-aid 3,580,000 
			 Near-cash budget allocation 3,528,000 
			 Non-cash budget allocation 0,039,000 
			 Total: net resource departmental expenditure limit 3,570,000

National Institute for Medical Research

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will place in the Library a copy of the Office of Science and Innovation's response to the Medical Research Council's draft business case for the future of the National Institute for Medical Research; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: The business case for the proposed redevelopment of the National Institute of Medical Research is still under preparation, and not for public consultation. To disclose the information requested would be prejudicial to the conduct of public affairs and would be likely to inhibit the free and frank provision of advice between the Medical Research Council and its parent department.
	It is MRC's intention to publish the business case once completed.

Pfizer

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact on  (a) concurrent choice and  (b) competition of the decision by Pfizer to sell its products through a single distribution channel;
	(2)  if he will refer the proposal by Pfizer to sell its products through a single distribution channel from early 2007 to the Office of Fair Trading for review; and if he will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: The Department for Trade and Industry does not make assessments of competition in particular markets. Under the UK competition framework this is a matter for the Office of Fair Trading (OFT), which is the independent statutory body responsible for investigating competition issues which may affect markets. Therefore, any decision to investigate the new distribution channel put in operation by Pfizer is a matter for the OFT.

Post Office

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans he has to safeguard the long-term future of the post office network.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Government are working with the Post Office on a forward strategy for the Post Office network as a mater of priority. We aim to make announcement before Christmas.

Trading Standards Officers

Denis Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many trading standards officers there are in England.

Ian McCartney: According to the most recent data available, 3,512 people are employed in the provision of the Trading Standards service in England. This includes both qualified and non-qualified staff.
	Throughout Great Britain, local authorities employ 1,429 qualified Trading Standards Officers and 131 Trainee Trading Standards Officers. DTI has no record of the number of qualified officers in England alone.

UK Trade

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the likely effect of the proposed Pacific Rim Free Trade Area on UK Trade with  (a) China,  (b) Japan,  (c) Republic of Korea and  (d) the United States of America.

Ian McCartney: None. The Pacific Rim Free Trade Area was briefly discussed at the APEC ministerial conference earlier this month. There is not enough detail at the moment for us to accurately assess the impact of any such agreement would have on UK trade interests.

UK Trade

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the potential effect on bilateral trade of Vietnam's accession to the World Trade Organisation; and if he will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: Vietnam's membership of the WTO will mean that foreign businesses, including those in the UK will be operating in a more transparent and predictable business environment. There will be also better protection for intellectual property rights.
	The UK Government have always supported the accession of Vietnam to the WTO on the right terms. The European Commission negotiates the accession of new members to the WTO on behalf of the Community, and for practical purposes on behalf of member states. The UK has worked closely with the Commission throughout these negotiations to ensure that the UK's objectives and priorities have been taken into consideration. It is a measure of the success of the package that these UK objectives and priorities have to a significant extent been met.
	The UK is already a major economic partner of Vietnam. The current value of UK investments in Vietnam is approximately 1.3 billion, making the UK one of the largest EU investors in the market, with around 74 investment licences issued by the Vietnamese Ministry of Planning and Investment to UK companies to date. WTO membership will secure further market access for UK trade and investment, and help to create a stable, more transparent and rule-of-law based business environment for further growth.

Vietnam

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he is taking to encourage British businesses to invest in Vietnam; what support he is making available to British companies who seek to invest in Vietnam; and if he will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: HMG through UK Trade and Investment (UKTI), are regularly approached by British companies seeking to invest overseas including Vietnam. UKTI are able to offer advice about the investment climate in Vietnam.
	UK Trade and Investment staff in Vietnam are also able to provide a variety of support to British companies seeking to invest in Vietnam, including the provision of advice on the local investment climate, introductions to local companies and government officials and lobbying, where appropriate, in support of an investment licence application. Underpinning this work has been our support for Vietnam's accession to the WTO, and our lobbying for a more transparent, legally certain and fair investment environment in Vietnam.
	Building strong trade and investment links with emerging markets such as Vietnam is at the core of UK Trade and Investment's new strategy. I hope to visit Vietnam next year in support of UK business interests and to explore how I might work with my Vietnamese counterpart to develop further the bilateral trade and investment relationship.
	The UK is, of course, already one of the largest EU investors in Vietnam and our Ambassador there has recently reported a further significant upturn in interest in investment in Vietnam from British companies. As part of our increasing focus on this fast developing market, the UK Trade and Investment team in Vietnam will benefit from additional staff resource during 2007, allowing the team to continue to provide support and guidance to potential investors.

Vietnam

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the key obstacles to British businesses seeking to increase trade with Vietnam; and what representations he is making to  (a) the World Trade Organisation and  (b) the Vietnamese Government regarding these obstacles.

Ian McCartney: Vietnam gained membership to the WTO earlier this month and the United Kingdom, along with our EU colleagues, has long supported Vietnam's WTO accession. The UK values Vietnam as a trade and investment partner and during the WTO negotiation process the government has worked closely with the European Commission to address a number of market access issues with Vietnam.
	Under UK Trade and Investment's new five-year strategy Vietnam has been awarded emerging market status, which will see an increase in intergovernmental contact on a range of market access issues. As a first step in this direction, I plan to visit Vietnam next year to explore with my Vietnamese counterpart ways in which we can work together to develop the bilateral trade and investment relationship.

Wind Farms

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  when the first application was received for an offshore wind farm at Shell Flat, Fleetwood; whom the applicant was; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many wind turbines are planned for the offshore wind farm at Shell Flat, Fleetwood; how many  (a) square miles and  (b) square kilometres the offshore wind farm is expected to cover; and from whom he has received objections to the plans;
	(3)  what time extensions he has granted to the applicant planning to develop the offshore wind farm at Shell Flat, Fleetwood;
	(4)  what the time limit is for  (a) lodging of objections and  (b) negotiations with objectors in respect of the development of the offshore wind farm at Shell Flat, Fleetwood;
	(5)  of what negotiations between the applicant proposing to build an offshore wind farm at Shell Flat, Fleetwood and those objecting to the plans he has been informed; and if he will make a statement;
	(6)  when he plans to make a decision on the application for the offshore wind farm at Shell Flat, Fleetwood.

Malcolm Wicks: An application for an order under the Transport and Works Act 1992 (TWA) to permit the construction and operation of the proposed Shell Flat offshore wind farm was submitted by Cirrus Energy Ltd. on 31 January 2003. The application proposed that the wind farm would have up to 90 turbines and cover an overall area of 44 square kilometres.
	The application was subject to consultation in accordance with the requirements of the TWA. While the public notices that advertised the TWA application specified a period of approximately six weeks for any representations or objections to be made to the Secretary of State, the process allows the Secretary of State to consider relevant submissions received after the specified date. As a result of the consultation, 15 objections are in place from: the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (holding objection), Blackpool Airport, the Ministry of Defence, the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, the Countryside Council for Wales, the Royal Yachting Association, the RSPB, Lancashire Wildlife Trust, Fylde Bird Club, English Nature/Natural England, the Wildlife Trusts, Wyre borough council and three individuals.
	All the consultation responses were sent to Cirrus Energy for consideration and the company then replied directly to respondents and, where appropriate, followed these up with discussions.
	There are no specific time scales in the TWA process for negotiations with objectors to be undertaken. Where objections to a proposal are received, the Secretary of State is required to take a decision on how to deal with them within 28 days of the final date for submission set out in the public notice. However, the TWA process enables the Secretary of State to extend that decision-making timetable in response to a request from the developer, or at his own discretion, if he feels that objections may be removed as a result of further discussions between the developer and an objector. In the case of Shell Flat, the timetable has been extended on a number of occasions from the original date of 8 April 2003 to 16 December 2006. The decision to extend the timetable has been drawn to the attention of objectors as the extensions have been granted.
	There is no specific timetable for a decision to be taken about the application for the TWA order. However, Cirrus Energy has indicated that it proposes to submit consent applications for an alternative wind farm on a new site close to the existing Shell Flat location. Should any application come forward, then it will be subject to public consultation.

MINISTER FOR WOMEN

Single Mothers

Robert Wilson: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what steps the Government have taken to enable single mothers to return to work.

Meg Munn: The Government have a range of measures to help single mothers who want to return to work. These include New Deal for Lone Parents, the National Childcare Strategy, the right for parents of children under six or a disabled child under 18 to request flexible working, the national minimum wage and tax credits. All of which are making work possible and making work pay.

Prisons

Bob Russell: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on the number of females detained in prisons more than 50 miles from their homes.

Meg Munn: I have had no recent discussions with the Home Secretary.
	I will shortly meet with Baroness Corston who has been commissioned by Home Office Ministers to conduct a review into provision for vulnerable women in the criminal justice system. The distance for women between prison and home will be one of the issues we discuss.

Elected Bodies

Diana Johnson: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what assessment she has made of progress in promoting the representation of women in elected bodies.

Meg Munn: In 2002 we introduced the Sex Discrimination (Election Candidates) Act allowing positive measures towards women's increased participation. This legislation is having an impact. 27 per cent. of Labour MPs are women, whilst 9 per cent. of Conservative MPs and 14 per cent. of Liberal Democrat MPs are Women. Overall, women make up 20 per cent. of MPs compared with 9 per cent. before 1997.
	In the National Assembly for Wales, 52 per cent. of Members are women and in the Scottish Parliament 39 per cent. of Members are women.

Flexible Working

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what steps the Government have taken to encourage UK businesses to adopt flexible working patterns for the parents of young children; and if she will make a statement.

Meg Munn: The Government encourage flexible working across the workforce by providing detailed guidance, promoting the benefits and sharing best practice. In April 2003 we introduced the right to request flexible working for parents of children under six and disabled children under 18. The law has been a success with almost a quarter of eligible employees asking to work flexibly and the vast majority of requests agreed.

Homelessness

Chris McCafferty: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what assessment she has made of recent trends in the number of homeless women; and if she will make a statement.

Meg Munn: We have a good record in tackling homelessness. Rough sleeping is down 73 per cent. compared with 1998. We have ended the scandal of families with children having to spend long periods in BB hotels and new cases of homelessness are at their lowest levels for decadesdown from 116,660 in 2001-02 to 93,980 in 2005-06.
	56 per cent. of new homeless households were headed by a woman in the last quarter. Our prevention activities should lead to a further significant reduction in homelessness among women.

Musculo-skeletal Conditions

Mike Hancock: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality if she will take steps to encourage Government Departments to employ women with musculo-skeletal conditions and help them return to work; and if she will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: I have been asked to reply.
	Permanent appointments for individuals from outside the civil service must be made on merit on the basis of fair and open competition.
	The civil service is an equal opportunities employer and actively encourages applications from people with disabilities. There are a number of Government initiatives to assist disabled people in finding civil service employment opportunities including the guaranteed interview scheme, Workstep programme and summer placement scheme. The civil service corporate Diversity 10-Point Plan includes many deliverables designed at increasing gender and disability representation at all levels within the civil service.

TREASURY

2012 Olympics

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which  (a) officials and  (b) Ministers were involved in discussions on the VAT status of the Olympic development authority before it was established; and when they met the Mayor of London's representatives to discuss this issue.

Dawn Primarolo: Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide range of organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings.

2012 Olympics

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recommendations his Department made to the Olympic Delivery Authority for contingencies in respect of  (a) projects and  (b) programmes in funding delivery of the Olympic games and provision of the Olympic park; and what factors were taken into account in making such recommendations.

John Healey: DCMS are the Government Department responsible for the Olympic Delivery Authority. HM Treasury's Green BookAppraisal and Evaluation in Central Government provides guidance to Departments on all aspects of appraising government programmes and projects, including risk management and optimism bias.

2012 Olympics

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what correspondence he has had with  (a) the European Commission,  (b) the French Government and  (c) the International Olympic Committee on the non-application of VAT to Olympic projects; and if he will make a statement on the mechanisms by which such VAT can be disapplied.

Dawn Primarolo: The Chancellor has not had any correspondence with these bodies on this issue. The VAT treatment of construction projects is determined by the VAT Act 1994 and EU legislation.

Barker Review

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recommendations the Treasury's review of land use planning by Kate Barker has made on amending planning regulations on out-of-town retail development.

John Healey: Kate Barker's review of land use planning was tasked, jointly by the Chancellor and the Deputy Prime Minister, to consider how, in the context of globalisation, the planning system can better deliver for the economy alongside other sustainable development goals. The review is due to report shortly; it has not yet made any recommendations.

Census

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  for what purpose the Office for National Statistics is planning to include questions on household income in the next census;
	(2)  what the average number of  (a) residents and  (b) households is in census output areas in England;
	(3)  how many Census output areas there are in England.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Jil Matheson, dated 30 November 2006
	for what purpose the Office for National Statistics is planning to include questions on household income in the next census (104072), [2] what the average number of (a) residents and (b) households is in census output areas in England (104082) and [3] how many Census output areas there are in England. I am replying in her absence. (104318).
	There is a strong requirement from users of Census data for information on income to be available from the 2011 Census. The main requirement of the information is from central and local government in order to identify areas of deprivation, enabling them to target initiatives, such as Neighbourhood Renewal Strategies, to those who need them most. Further information on the user requirement for this data can be found on the National Statistics web-site:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/about/consultations/2011Census_response.asp
	In May 2007 ONS is holding a Census Test and the questionnaire to be used in the Test includes a question on personal income. The questions in the 2007 Census Test are not necessarily those which will be included in the Census in 2011. The Census Test is voluntary, and one of the objectives is to examine a number of issues regarding acceptability and burden on the public, the accuracy of the information collected and, most importantly, the effect that a question relating to personal income might have on response rates. The question asks respondents to indicate which band their income falls into, rather than giving details of the exact amount. The evaluation of the Test, along with testing on the accuracy of the data that could be obtained, will inform the recommendation on whether or not to include a question in the 2011 Census. The questionnaire can be found on the National Statistics website at:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/censustestquestionnaire
	A White Paper setting out the Government's proposals for the 2011 Census is scheduled to be published in autumn 2008. It is not possible to confirm what questions are to be included in the 2011 Census until ONS complete a programme of consultation and testing and approval is given by Parliament in 2010.
	The minimum Output Area (OA) size adopted in the 2001 Census in England is 40 resident households and 100 resident persons, but the average size was rather larger at 123 resident households and 297 resident persons. In total there were 165,665 OAs in England. More information on OAs can be found at:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/geography/census_geog.asp#oa

Child Care Vouchers

Sarah Teather: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what proportion of people participating in pre-tax salary child care voucher schemes were in  (a) starting,  (b) basic and  (c) upper rate tax brackets in each year since the schemes were introduced;
	(2)  how many people have been participating in a pre-tax salary child care voucher scheme in each year since the schemes began;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of the cost to the Exchequer in reduced tax revenue of participation in pre-tax salary child care voucher schemes in each year since the schemes were introduced.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 27 November 2006
	Since the introduction of the income tax and national insurance contributions exemptions on employer-supported childcare in April 2005, employers and employees have not been required to report tax-free employer-supported child care vouchers provided to employees. Therefore information on the marginal tax rate of participants, overall numbers participating, or cost to the Exchequer is not available.
	HMRC have recently commissioned the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen), an independent social research organisation, to monitor the initial impact of reforms to employer-supported child care. They conducted a survey of employer perception of employer-supported child care as a whole, and not just child care vouchers.

Child Trust Funds

Andrew Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the take-up is of child trust funds in Oxford.

Edward Balls: Child Trust Fund information on take up at constituency level will be available early next year.
	Latest UK-wide information on the number of Child Trust Fund vouchers issued and the number of accounts opened was published on 29 September 2006 on the HMRC website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/child_trust_funds/child-trust-funds.htm.

Christmas Cards

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many of the Christmas cards prepared by his Department in 2005 were unused.

John Healey: The Treasury's Christmas cards are ordered and sent at team level.
	The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Civil Servants

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what changes have occurred to  (a) the number of civil servants employed and  (b) the number of external consultants employed since the publication of the Gershon Review.

Stephen Timms: The Gershon Review was published in July 2004. The number of people employed in the civil service as measured by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) in June 2004 (the closest available figure to July 2004) was 570,000. By June 2006 this figure had fallen by 12,000 to 558,000.
	ONS Statistics reflect a number of statistical and classification changes. For example, in April 2005 12,000 staff in the magistrates court service were transferred from local government into the civil service.
	These civil service statistics are published by the ONS in their Public Sector Employment Statistics First Release. Following is a link to the latest version of this publication:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/pdfdir/pse0906.pdf
	The Government remain on track to meet the work force reduction target set out in the 2004 Gershon Review of a gross reduction of 84,150 posts and a net reduction in posts of 70,600 after re-allocations to the frontline. Departments have made good progress towards their targets with 54,963 gross reductions and 45,551 net reductions in total reported to the end of September 2006.
	Data on the number of external consultants employed by the Government is not collected centrally.

Departmental Expenditure

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how much was paid in staff expenses in  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies in each of the last three financial years;
	(2)  how much was paid in expenses for  (a) his special advisers and  (b) his Council of Economic Advisers in each of the last three financial years.

John Healey: Departments' accounting systems primarily report spending by the classification of the spending, rather than the source. Therefore information on the totals for staff expenses claims could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Expenditure

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total cost was of  (a) fixed line telephone bills and  (b) mobile telephone bills in (i) his Department and (ii) each of its agencies in each of the last five years.

John Healey: The available figures are set out in the following table.
	
		
			  000 
			  Department/agency   2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 HM Treasury Both fixed and mobile (1) 1,592 1,416 1,796 1,558 
			 Debt Management Office Fixed (1) 80 94 135 103 
			  Mobile (1) 2 4 5 4 
			 Office of Government Commerce Fixed (1) 392 434 523 380 
			  Mobile (1) 82 64 87 74 
			 OGCbuying.solutions Fixed (1) (1) (1) 67 65 
			  Mobile (1) (1) (1) 28 31 
			 Valuation Office Agency Fixed (1) 1,880 1,162 1,587 1,236 
			  Mobile (1) 30 57 139 135 
			 HM Revenue and Customs Fixed 18,160 20,454 23,742 21,945 (2)13,134 
			  Mobile 2,753 2,576 2,698 4,041 3,595 
			 Royal Mint Fixed 138 147 159 (3)209 75 
			  Mobile 11 15 24 31 38 
			 National Savings and Investments Fixed 65 109 104 29 51 
			  Mobile 7 7 6 7 11 
			 Office of National Statistics Fixed 434 457 726 870 835 
			  Mobile 8 95 82 98 258 
			 Government Actuary's Department Fixed 35 36 38 39 40 
			  Mobile 0 0 0 0 4 
			 (1) Figures could be provided only at disproportionate cost. (2) The decrease in landline charges for HMRC in 2005-06 reflects the transfer of responsibility for maintenance and service of the telephone system to the Department's IT partner. (3) The high fixed line charge for the Royal Mint in 2004-05 related to a settlement in respect of 0845 numbers which had not been charged by BT over the previous three years. The reduction in 2005-06 was due in part to the more competitive marketplace and in part to more efficient use of the charging system by the Mint.

Departmental Expenditure

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what public relations companies were employed by his Department in each year between 1997 and 2002.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 24 July 2006,  Official Report, column 1064W.

Departmental Expenditure

Hugo Swire: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was spent by his Department on television advertisements in the last year for which figures are available.

John Healey: In the financial year 2005-06, HM Treasury spent 2,916,350 on television advertising on the stakeholder savings initiative.

DHL

Anne Milton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department paid to DHL in each financial year between 1997-98 and 2005-06.

John Healey: Information on payments made prior to 2002-03 could be obtained only at disproportionate cost due to a change in accounting system in that year. Payments made to DHL in each financial year since 2002-03 were:
	
		
			   Amount () 
			 2002-03 0 
			 2003-04 117.43 
			 2004-05 139.51 
			 2005-06 2,023.73

Economic Statistics (City of York)

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many VAT registered businesses there were in City of York  (a) parliamentary constituency and  (b) council area in each year since 1992.

Dawn Primarolo: HM Revenue and Customs does not publish geographical analyses of its data on VAT registrations. Information on business enterprises registered for VAT by local authority is available via the Small Business Service website:
	http://www.sbs.gov.uk/SBS_Gov_files/researchandstats/VATStats2005Tables2a2d.xls

Government Resources and Accounts Act

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if HM Treasury will make an Order under section 25 of the Government Resources and Accounts Act 2000 for the accounts of the regional chambers to be audited by the Comptroller and Auditor General.

John Healey: Regional assemblies produce accounts that are audited as part of the 'Accountable Body' arrangements in place to satisfy grant funding requirements from the Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG). Grant funding is included in DCLG's resource accounts which are audited by the Comptroller and Auditor General. Given these arrangements, there is no need for the Treasury to require further scrutiny or make an Order under section 25 of the Government Resources and Accounts Act 2000.

High-level Group on Financial Services

Mark Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish the minutes of the last meeting of the High-level Group on Financial Services.

Edward Balls: Outcomes of the last meeting of the High-level Group on Financial Services can be found in the Press Notice 77/06 released by the Treasury on 18 October 2006.

High-level Group on Financial Services

Mark Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer who the members are of  (a) the High-level Group on Financial Services and  (b) each of its sub-committees.

Edward Balls: The names of the members of the High-level Group on Financial Services can be found in the Press Notice 77/06 released by the Treasury on 18 October 2006.
	There are currently no sub-committees under the High-level Group on Financial Services.

High-level Group on Financial Services

Mark Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the next meeting of the High-level Group on Financial Services is planned to take place.

Edward Balls: The next meeting of the High-level Group on Financial Services will be held on 10 May 2007.

Household Statistics

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of household costs were accounted for by fuel costs for each income decile in the latest year for which information is available; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: I have been asked to reply.
	The latest figures available are 2004-05 based on Office for National Statistics Expenditure and Food Survey. UK data are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Income Decile  Fuel costs as a percentage of total costs 
			 1 6 
			 2 6 
			 3 5 
			 4 4 
			 5 4 
			 6 4 
			 7 3 
			 8 3 
			 9 3 
			 10 2 
			 All 3

Inheritance Tax

Tim Yeo: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total inheritance tax revenue from UK non-residents was in the last financial year for which figures are available.

Dawn Primarolo: No figures are available.

Interest Rates

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether interest rates on variable rate National Savings and Investment savings accounts will rise in line with the Bank of England's November rate rise.

Edward Balls: Following the 25 basis point rise in the Bank of England's base rate of interest as announced on 9 November 2006, it was announced on 22 November 2006 that interest rates on all variable rate National Savings and Investments savings accounts would also rise. The interest rates on Premium Bonds, Income Bonds, Direct ISA, Cash Mini ISA, Treasurers Account and the Ordinary Account have risen by 25 basis points. The interest rate on the Investment Account has risen by 15 basis points. The interest rate on the Easy Access Savings Account has risen by 10 basis points.

IT Projects

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the current  (a) estimated cost and  (b) expected completion date is of each information technology project on the list deposited by his Department in the Library on 19 January 2004.

John Healey: An updated list has been placed in the Library of the House of Commons.

Local Tax Offices

Roger Williams: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  if he will make a statement on the closure of local tax offices;
	(2)  how many HM Revenue and Customs offices his Department plans to close in  (a) England,  (b) Scotland,  (c) Northern Ireland and  (d) Wales.

Dawn Primarolo: HM Revenue and Customs announced on 16 November 2006 a programme of regional reviews of all its office locations. A consultation process will be built into each review.
	HMRC has not announced any specific office closures, and will not take final decisions on the future of any individual office until after the completion of the consultation period in each region.

National Insurance

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people made voluntary national insurance contributions in each year for which records are available; and what the total value was of such contributions in each year for which records are available.

Dawn Primarolo: Latest available figures from 1994-95 are shown in the table. National insurance Class 3 contributions must be made before the end of the sixth tax year following the one in which they were due, hence figures are likely to increase, particularly the latest years.
	
		
			  National insurance Class 3 contributions 
			  In respect of tax year  Contributors (Thousand)  Contributions ( million) 
			 1994-95 336 57 
			 1995-96 322 60 
			 1996-97 377 86 
			 1997-98 339 85 
			 1998-99 326 83 
			 1999-2000 306 81 
			 2000-01 279 74 
			 2001-02 261 71 
			 2002-03 288 71 
			 2003-04 250 64 
			 2004-05 88 31 
			  Notes: 1. Based on a 1 per cent. extract of the national insurance recording system created in August 2006. 2. Numbers are rounded to the nearest thousand, and amounts to the nearest  million. 3. Amounts are based on the rate that applied for the year the contribution is associated with, and does not reflect increases in rate which apply for those who pay late.

National Insurance

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what communications his Department made with the public regarding voluntary national insurance contributions in each year for which records are available; and if he will place a copy of each such communication in the Library.

Dawn Primarolo: Leaflets and letters giving information on voluntary national insurance contributions will be placed in the Library. In view of the voluminous nature of this material, it will be deposited in electronic format.

Parallel Metrics Exercise

Brian Iddon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress has been made on trialling a parallel metrics exercise with the 2008 research assessment exercise for universities.

Bill Rammell: I have been asked to reply.
	We have recently completed a consultation on our initial proposals for research assessment in the future, and we shall announce the outcome on 6 December.

Parliamentary Questions

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what target his Department has for the maximum acceptable amount of time to answer written parliamentary questions; and what percentage of parliamentary answers met that target in each parliamentary session since 2001.

John Healey: Treasury Ministers endeavour to answer written questions in the timescales set by the House of Commonsthat is to say, on the day specified by the questioner in the case of named day questions and within a working week of tabling for ordinary written questions. The table gives the proportion of written questions answered within these timescales in each of the last six parliamentary sessions:
	
		
			  Session  Questions answered on time (Percentage) 
			 2000-01 68.1 
			 2001-02 78.4 
			 2002-03 74.6 
			 2003-04 78.8 
			 2004-05 83.3 
			 2005-06 79.3 
		
	
	The Treasury does not have a target for the maximum acceptable length of time for answering.

Party Political Funding

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether funds donated to political parties are tax deductible.

Dawn Primarolo: UK tax law provides that, when computing taxable income or profits, any expenditure not incurred wholly and exclusively for the purposes of the trade, profession or vocation in question may not be deducted. Funds donated to political parties would not be regarded as being wholly and exclusively for a business purpose and therefore not tax deductible.

Party Political Funding

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether party political donations by councillors of allowances granted in the performance of their duties are tax deductible.

Dawn Primarolo: Tax rules provide that relief is given only for expenditure incurred wholly, exclusively and necessarily in the course of a person's duties of their employment. Donations by councillors would not be considered to be made wholly, exclusively and necessarily in the course of their duties and therefore are not tax deductible.

Pensions

John Redwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his Department's estimate is of the cost of contracting out by way of  (a) reduced national insurance contributions and  (b) age-related rebates for (i) each year from 2006 to 2012 for all occupational defined contribution schemes and (ii) each year from 2006 to 2052 for (A) personal and stakeholder pension plans, (B) employee contributions in public sector defined benefit schemes, (C) employer contributions in public sector defined benefit schemes and (D) contributions in respect of private sector defined benefit schemes.

James Purnell: I have been asked to reply.
	The information is in the following tables.
	
		
			  (i) Estimated Cost of Contracted-out Rebates for Defined Contribution Occupational Pension Schemes2006-07 price terms 
			  
			  Tax year  Reduced rate NICs  Age-related rebates  Total  ( billion) 
			 2006-07 0.3 0.2 0.5 
			 2007-08 0.2 0.3 0.5 
			 2008-09 0.2 0.3 0.5 
			 2009-10 0.2 0.3 0.5 
			 2010-11 0.2 0.3 0.5 
			 2011-12 0.2 0.3 0.5 
			 2012-13 0.2 0.3 0.5 
		
	
	
		
			  (ii)(a) Estimated Cost of Contracted-out Rebates for Personal and Stakeholder Pensions2006-07 price terms 
			  Tax year  Cost ( billion) 
			 2006-07 2.8 
			 2007-08 3.2 
			 2008-09 3.3 
			 2009-10 3.3 
			 2010-11 3.4 
			 2011-12 3.5 
			 2012-13 3.6 
			 2013-14 3.6 
			 2014-15 3.7 
			 2015-16 3.8 
			 2016-17 3.8 
			 2017-18 3.8 
			 2018-19 3.9 
			 2019-20 3.9 
			 2020-21 3.9 
			 2021-22 4.0 
			 2022-23 4.0 
			 2023-24 4.0 
			 2024-25 4.0 
			 2025-26 4.0 
			 2026-27 3.9 
			 2027-28 3.9 
			 2028-29 3.9 
			 2029-30 3.9 
			 2030-31 3.8 
			 2031-32 3.8 
			 2032-33 3.8 
			 2033-34 3.7 
			 2034-35 3.7 
			 2035-36 3.7 
			 2036-37 3.8 
			 2037-38 3.8 
			 2038-39 3.9 
			 2039-40 4.0 
			 2040-41 4.1 
			 2041-42 4.2 
			 2042-43 4.2 
			 2043-44 4.3 
			 2044-45 4.4 
			 2045-46 4.5 
			 2046-47 4.6 
			 2047-48 4.7 
			 2048-49 4.7 
			 2049-50 4.8 
			 2050-51 4.9 
			 2051-52 5.0 
			 2052-53 5.1 
		
	
	
		
			  (ii) (b) and (c) Estimated Cost of Contracted-out Rebates for Public Sector Defined Benefit Occupational Pension schemes2006-07 price terms 
			  Cost ( billion) 
			  Tax year  Employer  Employee 
			 2006-07 1.3 2.9 
			 2007-08 1.3 3.0 
			 2008-09 1.4 3.1 
			 2009-10 1.4 3.1 
			 2010-11 1.4 3.2 
			 2011-12 1.5 3.3 
			 2012-13 1.5 3.1 
			 2013-14 1.5 3.1 
			 2014-15 1.6 3.2 
			 2015-16 1.6 3.3 
			 2016-17 1.6 3.3 
			 2017-18 1.6 3.2 
			 2018-19 1.6 3.3 
			 2019-20 1.7 3.3 
			 2020-21 1.7 3.4 
			 2021-22 1.7 3.4 
			 2022-23 1.7 3.3 
			 2023-24 1.7 3.3 
			 2024-25 1.7 3.3 
			 2025-26 1.7 3.4 
			 2026-27 1.8 3.4 
			 2027-28 1.8 3.4 
			 2028-29 1.8 3.4 
			 2029-30 1.8 3.5 
			 2030-31 1.8 3.5 
			 2031-32 1.8 3.5 
			 2032-33 1.8 3.6 
			 2033-34 1.8 3.6 
			 2034-35 1.9 3.6 
			 2035-36 1.9 3.6 
			 2036-37 1.9 3.7 
			 2037-38 1.9 3.7 
			 2038-39 1.9 3.7 
			 2039-40 1.9 3.8 
			 2040-41 1.9 3.8 
			 2041-42 2.0 3.8 
			 2042-43 2.0 3.8 
			 2043-44 2.0 3.8 
			 2044-45 2.0 3.8 
			 2045-46 2.0 3.9 
			 2046-47 2.0 3.9 
			 2047-48 2.0 3.9 
			 2048-49 2.0 3.9 
			 2049-50 2.0 3.9 
			 2050-51 2.0 3.9 
			 2051-52 2.0 3.9 
			 2052-53 2.0 3.9 
		
	
	
		
			  (ii) (d) Estimated Cost of Contracted-out Rebates for Private Sector Defined Benefit Schemes2006-07 price terms 
			  Tax year  Cost ( billion) 
			 2006-07 2.8 
			 2007-08 2.9 
			 2008-09 2.8 
			 2009-10 2.8 
			 2010-11 2.7 
			 2011-12 2.6 
			 2012-13 2.4 
			 2013-14 2.3 
			 2014-15 2.2 
			 2015-16 2.1 
			 2016-17 2.1 
			 2017-18 1.9 
			 2018-19 1.9 
			 2019-20 1.8 
			 2020-21 1.7 
			 2021-22 1.6 
			 2022-23 1.5 
			 2023-24 1.5 
			 2024-25 1.4 
			 2025-26 1.4 
			 2026-27 1.4 
			 2027-28 1.3 
			 2028-29 1.3 
			 2029-30 1.3 
			 2030-31 1.3 
			 2031-32 1.3 
			 2032-33 1.3 
			 2033-34 1.3 
			 2034-35 1.3 
			 2035-36 1.3 
			 2036-37 1.3 
			 2037-38 1.3 
			 2038-39 1.3 
			 2039-40 1.3 
			 2040-41 1.3 
			 2041-42 1.3 
			 2042-43 1.3 
			 2043-44 1.4 
			 2044-45 1.4 
			 2045-46 1.4 
			 2046-47 1.4 
			 2047-48 1.4 
			 2048-49 1.4 
			 2049-50 1.4 
			 2050-51 1.4 
			 2051-52 1.4 
			 2052-53 1.4 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are on a GB basis and are expressed in  billion in 2006-07 prices, to the nearest 100 million. 2. The projection is based on current legislation and does not take account of the measures introduced in the Pensions Bill 2006. This means: contracting out for Personal and Stakeholder Pension schemes is assumed to continue in the future; State Second Pension is assumed to accrue on earnings between the lower and upper earnings limits; and the state pension age is assumed to remain at 65 after 2020. 3. The projection is based on PBR 2005 forecasts. 4. The rebate for defined contribution Occupational Pension schemes is delivered through reduced rate national insurance contributions for both employees and employers and an end of year age-related payment into the fund. 5. The rebate for contracted-out Personal and Stakeholder Pension schemes is delivered wholly through an end of year age-related payment into the fund. 6. The rebate for Defined Benefit Occupational Pension schemes is delivered through reduced national insurance contributions for employees and employers. 7. The split between public and private sector Defined Benefit Occupational Pension schemes should be treated with extreme cautionthis is very approximate based on broad assumptions.

Planning Gain Supplement

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the proposed Planning Gain Supplement will be introduced as  (a) a variable levy on development value and  (b) a flat-rate roof tax.

John Healey: The Government published a consultation paper on the proposed Planning-gain Supplement (PGS) in the 2005 pre-Budget report. This stated that PGS would capture a modest portion of the land value uplift created at the grant of planning permission. Further announcements on PGS will be made by the end of the year.

Premium Bonds

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what mechanisms exist to ensure that each premium bond has the same chance of winning as any other, regardless of the length of time that it has been held.

Edward Balls: Premium Bond draws are undertaken by ERNIE (electronic random number indicator equipment). ERNIE produces random strings of numbers and letters which are then matched to existing Premium Bond numbers.
	To ensure that each Premium Bond has an equal change of winning, no numbers are entered into ERNIE so no numbers can be left out of the draw. Furthermore, ERNIE is not a computer and cannot be programmed. It is not networked to any other machine, which means it cannot be hacked into.
	Each month's winning numbers are verified by the Government Actuary's Department (GAD) before the winners are notified. GAD carries out a series of statistical tests on the results to make sure the numbers generated are not following any kind of pattern, because that would suggest a bias. The four main tests are:
	frequency test to make sure every possible character in every position of the Bond numbers appears as often as it should serial test which looks at how often one digit follows another, for example how many threes come directly after sevens
	poker test which analyses how many times a group of four consecutive characters contain four identical characters, how often they contain three of a kind, two of a kind and no matches
	correlation test which looks at how often characters in two different positions appear in those same positions over a series of Bond numbers.
	If no pattern is discernable the draw is judged to be random and GAD issues a certificate stating that this is the case. The tests have never detected a pattern in ERNIE'S selection.

Single Parents

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many single parents there were in each quarter from 2000-01 to 2006-07; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated 30 November 2006:
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your question on how many lone parents there were in each quarter from 2000-01 to 2006.I am replying in her absence. (104254)
	Estimates of the number of lone parents are not available on a quarterly basis. Annual estimates of the numbers of lone parent families with dependent children in the United Kingdom are available from Labour Force Survey. Figures for the years requested are given in the table below.
	
		
			  Number of lone parent families, 2000-05, United Kingdom 
			  Thousand 
			   Lone parents with dependent children( 1)  Lone parents with non-dependent children only  Total 
			 2000 1,712 741 2,454 
			 2001 1,767 755 2,522 
			 2002 1,808 751 2,559 
			 2003 1,811 794 2,605 
			 2004 1,841 802 2,643 
			 2005 1,878 783 2,662 
			 (1) Dependent children are those aged under 16 or aged 16 to 18 who are never-married and in full-time education.  Note: Numbers may not add due to rounding.  Source: Labour Force Survey Household dataset average of spring and autumn quarters

Tax Credit Office

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much has been paid in the form of  (a) consolatory payments and  (b) compensation by the Tax Credit Office in each of the last five years.

Dawn Primarolo: The circumstances in which HM Revenue and Customs will make compensation payments to its customers are explained in the Department's code of practice 1 Putting things right which is available at www.hmrc.gov.uk The Department will pay compensation for reasonable costs incurred as a direct result of its mistakes or delays and to recognise worry and distress caused by those mistakes and delays.
	For the value of compensation payments made in 2003-04 and 2004-05, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Northavon (Steve Webb) and the hon. Member for the former Hamilton South constituency (Mr. Tynan) on 20 July 2004,  Official Report, columns 191-92W, and to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws) on 4 July 2005,  Official Report, columns 95-96W. The value of compensation paid in 2005-06 was around 1.07 million.

Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many tax credit claims  (a) were made by prisoners in the UK in each of the last three years and  (b) have been made in 2006-07; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  from which open prisons claims for working tax credit have been made since 1 April 2005; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: This information is not available.

Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many tax credit verification checks are in operation.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 7 November 2006,  Official Report, column 1042W.

Tax Credits

Edward Vaizey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many families in each ward of Wantage constituency are in receipt of working tax credit.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Leicester, South (Sir Peter Soulsby) on 29 November 2006,  Official Report, column 735W.

Tax Credits

Helen Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much has been spent on working tax credit for families in Warrington, North in each year since its introduction.

Dawn Primarolo: The information requested is not available at constituency level. Information on the net expenditure of working tax credit for 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06 is available in Note 3 of the Inland Revenue Annual Report and Accounts for 2003-04 and 2004-05 and the HM Revenue and Customs 2005-06 Accounts.

Tax Credits

Harry Cohen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what take-up there has been of the childcare element of working tax credit, broken down by local authority area.

Dawn Primarolo: The number of families benefiting from the childcare element of working tax credit by local authority is shown in table 2 of the HMRC statistical publication Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics Annual Awards 2004-05 Geographical Analyses, available at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-geog- annual-0405.pdf
	Take-up rates (the proportion of eligible families taking up tax credits) are not available at local authority level.

Valuation Office Agency

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library copies of the presentation and handouts produced by the Valuation Office Agency at the International Property Tax Institute conference in Kuala Lumpur on 23 August.

Dawn Primarolo: The Valuation Office Agency did not make a presentation or give handouts at the International Property Tax Institute conference in Kuala Lumpur.
	A Director in the Valuation Office Agency attended the conference as a member of the IPTI Advisory Board and gave a presentation in that capacity.

Valuation Office Agency

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Valuation Office Agency has access to Mosaic data from Experian.

Dawn Primarolo: It does not.

Valuation Office Agency

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what foreign visits have been undertaken by the Valuation Office Agency staff on official business in the last 12 months.

Dawn Primarolo: Valuation Office Agency (VOA) staff have made nine foreign visits in the last 12 months and have visited America, Malaysia, Japan, Thailand, Spain and France.

Valuation Office Agency

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost was of sending Valuation Office Agency representatives to the International Property Tax Institute Conference in Kuala Lumpur in August.

Dawn Primarolo: The cost to the Valuation Office Agency of sending a representative to the International Property Tax Institute (IPTI) Conference in Kuala Lumpur in August was 705. This figure is net of the financial contribution made by the IPTI.

Valuation Office Agency

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the Valuation Office Agency's assessment was of the rateable value of the Ripley Building in Whitehall in the last business rates evaluation.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Lady to the answer given by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Hilary Armstrong) on 7 November 2006,  Official Report, column 1182W.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Arson

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people were killed by  (a) arson and  (b) suspected arson in each year since 1997.

Angela Smith: The available information covers deaths in deliberate fires attended by the fire and rescue service, and includes suicides.
	
		
			  England: Deaths in deliberate fires attended by fire and rescue services 
			   Number 
			 1997 98 
			 1998 84 
			 1999 92 
			 2000 91 
			 2001 67 
			 2002 94 
			 2003 100 
			 2004 78 
			 2005 (Provisional data) 82 
			  Note: Includes deaths reported during the strike periods in 2002 and 2003.  Source: Fire and rescue service reports to the Department for Communities and Local Government.

Consultants

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which  (a) public relations and  (b) marketing firms have been hired by her Department and its predecessor since 2002; what the total expenditure was on each firm; and for what purpose each agency was hired.

Angela Smith: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) on 8 November 2006,  Official Report, column 1566W.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she will reply to the letter of 2 October 2006 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr. J. Meehan.

Angela Smith: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has now responded to my right hon. Friend's letter.

Departmental Estate

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the total floor space is of each of the buildings occupied  (a) in whole and  (b) in part by her Department.

Angela Smith: The total floor space in each of the buildings occupied by Communities and Local Government is as follows:
	
		
			  Sq m 
			  Property  (a) Floor space in buildings occupied in whole  (b) Floor space in buildings occupied in part 
			 Eland House London 22,650  
			 Ashdown House London  6,727 
			 Allington Towers, London  1,911 
			 Exchange Tower, London 710  
			 Ashdown House Hastings  722 
			 Hempstead House Hemel Hempstead  1,198 
			 Building 3, Garston 297  
			 1 High St. Glossop 107  
			 Fire Experimental Unit Moreton-in-Marsh 1,374  
			 Hangar 97 Little Rissington 4,181  
			 Temple Quay House, Bristol  278 
			 Unit B Interlink Park, Bardon, Leicestershire 5,923  
			 Sub total 35,242 10,836 
			 Total  (a) and  (b) 46,078 
		
	
	The Department also has 1,981 sq m on two floors in Stockley House. These are currently unoccupied but will be occupied temporarily in 2007 as decant space to enable the reorganisation of Eland House to full open plan standard. The move to open plan in Eland House is part of the Department's plan to rationalise its central London buildings by March 2008.
	In addition the Equalities Review Team, a body sponsored by Communities and Local Government, remain in 26 Whitehall but their occupation is not expected to continue after the end of this financial year. Communities and Local Government is not being charged for the space occupied.
	These figures do not include Government offices which perform functions on behalf of 10 Government Departments; nor do they include the Department's three agencies.

Departmental Expenditure

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much was spent by her Department on maintaining each of its websites in 2005-06; and how many visits each website received during this period.

Angela Smith: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 18 July 2006,  Official Report, column 306W.

Departmental Publications

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many copies of the October 2006 Local Government White Paper have been sold at the full market rate.

Phil Woolas: The October 2006 Local Government White Paper, Cm 6939 was published by the Stationery Office Ltd. and the requested information is not made available to the Department.

Departmental Publications

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many copies of the October 2006 Local Government White Paper were printed; and at what cost.

Phil Woolas: Some 5,500 copies of the October 2006 Local Government White Paper were printed at a cost of 50,855.

Fires (Grassland)

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many grassland and heathland fires there were in each year since 1986, in each  (a) fire authority and  (b) region.

Angela Smith: A table containing the information requested has been placed in the Library of the House.

Local Government Act

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many local authorities have exercised their powers under the Local Government Act 2003 to hold a local referendum.

Phil Woolas: The information requested is not held centrally.

Parliamentary Questions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether her Department has a traffic light system in place for processing parliamentary questions, where questions are categorised using a colour code.

Angela Smith: No.

Private Finance Initiative

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government in which private finance initiative schemes, other than housing PFI, local authorities participate; and what approval is required from central Government for them to do so.

Phil Woolas: Local authorities can use PFI contracts for any capital intensive projects provided that is the best value for money procurement route. No approval is required from central Government. Approval for a project is needed from both the relevant sponsoring Department and from the PFI Project Review Group if a local authority wishes to apply to central Government for additional support in the form of PFI credits. Current PFI credit programmes (other than housing) cover schools, waste management, transport (including street lighting, roads and light rail), social services, libraries and leisure services, joint service centres (one-stop shop access to cross-agency services), and police and fire and rescue services.

Public Toilets

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment her Department has made of the causes of the closures of public lavatories by local authorities.

Phil Woolas: The Department has not undertaken any assessment of the causes of closures of public lavatories by local authorities. We are in the early stages of planning research to build on the evidence work on this issue, such as the work in the GLA March 2006 report on the state of London toilets.

School Fires

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many fires there were in schools in England in each month in each of the past four years.

Angela Smith: The available information covers fires which were attended by the fire and rescue service.
	
		
			  England: Fires in schools 
			   Annual total  January  February  March  April  May  June 
			 2002 1,249 83 82 108 120 124 101 
			 2003 1,232 86 103 140 96 120 96 
			 2004 1,229 122 82 178 94 108 100 
			 2005 (provisional) 1,095 101 98 95 86 97 102 
		
	
	
		
			   July  August  September  October  November  December 
			 2002 118 72 154 117 102 67 
			 2003 82 94 125 110 93 87 
			 2004 81 65 88 66 158 88 
			 2005 (provisional) 106 62 79 92 120 57 
			  Notes:  1. Excludes fires during periods of industrial action in 2002 and 2003. 2. Figures for 2002-04 are based on sampled data grossed to fire and rescue service totals.  Source: Fire and rescue service returns to the Department for Communities and Local Government

Valuation Office Agency

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether  (a) Cole Layer Trumble and  (b) Tyler Technologies are providing assistance to the Valuation Office Agency with Computer Assisted Mass Appraisal databases.

Phil Woolas: No.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what requests the Government have received pressing for the UNHCR to intervene to assist Afghan refugees; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The Government are involved in a regular dialogue with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), which has involved discussions about Afghan refugees. The UK has recently announced to the UNHCR a US$500,000 grant towards the joint UNHCR/Government of Pakistan scheme to provide Afghan refugees in Pakistan with status and identity cards.

Africa

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions she has had with her counterparts in  (a) Sudan,  (b) the Central African Republic and  (c) Chad about the security situation in the three countries' border region; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development represented the UK at the high-level meeting on Darfur in Addis Ababa on 16 November. The meeting agreed the need to address the deteriorating security situation along Sudan's borders with Chad and the Central African Republic. In addition, a UN assessment mission is currently in the region to review the security situation in Chad; we expect the UN Secretary-General to report on its findings to the Security Council in mid-December.
	We press the Government of Sudan regularly on the need for a viable cease-fire in Darfur and to stop supporting Chadian rebel groups. We have pressed the Governments of Sudan and Chad to fulfil their obligations under the Tripoli Agreement, and will continue to do so. Officials from my Department met with the Chadian ambassador on 20 November and raised our concerns over the security situation in both Chad and the Central African Republic, particularly in the border regions.
	We also continue to raise our concerns over the situation in the Central African Republic through the EU and the UN.

Africa

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps her Department is taking to promote the control of arms flows in the horn of Africa.

Ian McCartney: We are concerned by the recent increase in the flow of arms throughout the horn of Africa which include transfers in violation of the UN arms embargo on Somalia. With our UN partners we urge all states in the region to respect the arms embargo and refrain from any activity which might provoke violence in Somalia. We are encouraging Security Council partners to consider additional measures to strengthen the Somalia arms embargo.

Burma

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will promote a United Nations Security Council resolution  (a) calling attention to Burmese human rights abuses and  (b) demanding the release of all political prisoners in Burma.

Ian McCartney: We fully support all action in the UN, including in the Security Council, which helps to promote reform and positive change in Burma. We have supported the US proposal for a UN Security Council Resolution on Burma. We would want a Resolution or other Security Council outcome to highlight international concerns over flagrant human rights abuses inside the country, the ongoing conflict in some ethnic nationality areas, and to call for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners. We would also want the Council to demonstrate the broadest possible support for the efforts of the UN to move Burma towards an all-inclusive democracy, sustainable development and true national reconciliation.

Burma

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the influence of the actions of the Burmese regime on regional peace and security.

Ian McCartney: I share the concern of many in the international community that the Burmese regime's continuing failure to undertake a genuine and inclusive process of democratic reform, or to accommodate legitimate aspirations of the ethnic nationalities, has prolonged the country's internal conflicts. This has exacerbated problems for Burma's neighbours and across the region, including through the outflow of refugees, the production of narcotics and the spread of infectious diseases. The situation represents a threat to international peace and security.

Burma

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the Government's position is on referring Burma to the International Court of Justice for its use of forced labour.

Ian McCartney: We support the actions of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) aimed at ensuring that Burma complies with its international obligations on forced labour, including consideration of the ILO requesting an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice.

China

Hywel Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had recently with the Chinese Ambassador on strengthening commercial, cultural and educational links between the United Kingdom and the People's Republic of China; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: We are pursuing an active dialogue with China across Government, both at ministerial and official level. Strengthening commercial, cultural and educational links are important strands of the comprehensive strategic partnership my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister and Premier Wen Jiabao agreed in 2004.
	Peter Ricketts, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Permanent Under-Secretary, most recently discussed bilateral relations with the Chinese ambassador on 8 November. Both sides welcomed the growing breadth and depth of the bilateral relationship, noting the annual increase in bilateral trade flows, the rich programme of cultural activity and growth in exchanges involving young people. They agreed that our shared Olympics responsibilities and Shanghai Expo 2010 provided excellent opportunities to expand bilateral co-operation further.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when she will reply to the letter of 12 October 2006 from the right hon. Member for Manchester Gorton with regard to Mr. K. Said.

Margaret Beckett: A response to my right hon. Friend's letter of 12 October was issued on 24 November.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations she has made to the Government of Congo on the arrest of the former presidential candidate Marie-Thrse Nlandu; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: Our ambassador in Kinshasa spoke to the Interior Minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo and advisers to President Kabila regarding the detention of Mme Nlandu on 21 November. We have outlined our concerns over allegations that Mme Nlandu's human rights, particularly her access to legal representation, have not been respected.
	We continue to press the Congolese Government to ensure that due legal process is adhered to in this case and continue to remind the Government of the need to ensure space for political opposition.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the safety of nuclear facilities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Ian McCartney: We and international partners are concerned by the state of the small nuclear research facility in Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo's only nuclear facility. Several donors and the International Atomic Energy Agency have offered support to safely dismantle this facility and dispose of any radioactive material, but thus far this has not been accepted by the Congolese Government. We will continue to monitor the situation and press the new Congolese Government to fulfil its environmental and security responsibilities.

Departmental Staff

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many value for money exercises on the use of  (a) management consultants and  (b) professional advisers were conducted by her Department in each of the last five years for which information is available; and if she will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: Value for money exercises are an integral part of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) contracting process for all management consultants and professional advisors. The FCOs use of external consultants helps to contribute to the success of projects by providing relevant new knowledge, specialist skills, experience and an independent view of key issues not available in-house. This wider experience and broader perspective, drawn from their work with other organisations, can add value to the FCO's business.
	The FCO's policy on the procurement of services is based on value for money, having due regard to propriety and regularity and ensuring full compliance with the EU consolidated Public Procurement Directive, implemented in the UK by The Public Contracts Regulations 2006 (SI 2006 No 5). These promote equal treatment, transparency and competitive procurement. Value for money is therefore assessed in the tendering and award of contract process and through active contract management throughout the period of engagement. Project deliverables and the quality of advice received from the consultants are matched against expectations and consultants carry out assigned tasks to a properly managed plan of milestone objectives and timescales. Project managers must ensure that the deliverables produced by consultants are as specified and that the outputs are used effectively to improve performance or meet key objectives. At the end of the contract the assignment is reviewed to assess the value for money achieved.

Departmental Statistics

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which statistics have been put forward by her Department for consideration to become new national statistics in each of the last five years; and how many statistics sets her Department has produced in total in each of the last five years.

Margaret Beckett: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) does not produce national statistics. However, official statistical information on the FCO's activities can be found in the departmental annual report, hard copies of which are available in the Library of the House. It can also be accessed online at www.fco.gov.uk In addition the FCO publishes a number of specialised reports, including the Annual Human Rights Report and the Global Opportunities Fund Report, which contain statistical information.

Iraq

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports she has received on Site Four Prison in East Baghdad; what representations UK representatives have made about it to the Iraqi authorities; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: In June 2006, our embassy in Baghdad received reports of serious over-crowding and abuse at the Site Four detention facility in east Baghdad following a joint Iraqi and US led Multi-National Force inspection. Our ambassador in Baghdad conveyed my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary's concern at the allegations to Iraqi Prime Minister Al-Maliki, and welcomed his undertaking to investigate and bring those responsible to justice. We have since continued to raise Site Four with the Iraqi authorities at all levels. We understand that investigative judges have issued over 50 arrest warrants in relation to the incident. We will continue to press the Iraqi authorities to progress with prosecutions.

Madagascar

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on the political situation in Madagascar.

Ian McCartney: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Cotswold (Mr. Clifton-Brown) on 27 November 2006,  Official Report, column 474W.

Middle East

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment her Department has made of the economic and social impact on the Palestine village of Al-Walajah if the Israeli government proceeds with its plan to construct a wall.

Kim Howells: We have made no specific assessment on the effect the barrier would have on Al-Walajah. As a whole, the route of the barrier has had a detrimental effect on the economy of Palestinian villages. Where the barrier has been constructed, Palestinians face restrictions on movement, which may prevent them accessing their land, schools, universities and medical care. Palestinians living in closed areas have to pass through gates in the barrier to reach markets, schools and hospitals, to cultivate land, and to maintain contact with family and friends living in other parts of the west bank.

Middle East

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether her Department has made representations to the Israeli government on the construction of a wall in the village of Al-Walajah.

Kim Howells: We have made no specific representations to the Israeli government about the village of Al-Walajah. However, we continue to have concerns about the routing of the barrier. The barrier should be built on or behind the Green Line, not on occupied territory. Our ambassador in Tel Aviv most recently raised our concerns about the routing of the barrier with the Israeli government on 10 October.

Minister for Europe

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for which responsibilities the Minister for Europe reports  (a) directly to the Prime Minister and  (b) to her.

Margaret Beckett: holding answer 23 November 2006
	My right hon. Friend the Minister for Europe informs my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister and me directly across the range of responsibilities.

Ministerial Visits

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which countries she has visited on official business since May.

Margaret Beckett: USA on four occasions, Belgium on six occasions, Luxembourg twice, France twice, Moscow, Brazil, Italy, Iraq, Egypt, Mexico, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Germany, Austria and India.

Nigeria

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the conditions for British oil and gas workers in the Niger Delta.

Ian McCartney: There is currently a high risk of kidnapping in the Niger Delta. Expatriates are frequently taken hostage by armed militants. In eight separate incidents since January 2006, 20 British nationals have been kidnapped and one tragically has been killed.
	There have also been several kidnappings of other foreign nationals, and clashes between militant groups and the Nigerian armed forces. We also continue to believe that armed groups may be planning further attacks on oil and gas facilities in the Niger Delta.
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, through its travel advice, continues to give up to date assessment of the risks of working in the Niger Delta. We work closely with UK and other employers, to ensure that British oil and gas workers are aware of our advice, both in the UK and Nigeria.

North Korea

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps her Department is taking to support measures to prevent another nuclear test by North Korea.

Ian McCartney: The UK joined the international community in strongly condemning the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) nuclear test on 9 October. The unanimous adoption of UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1718 underlines powerfully to the DPRK the importance of this issue. Any further nuclear tests will only serve to strengthen international resolve for a robust response.
	The UK is putting in place the necessary arrangements to implement the measures set out in UNSCR 1718 and has urged partners to do likewise as soon as possible. We welcome the DPRK's agreement to return to the six party talks and have underlined to partners the need for the talks to be result-oriented.

Parliamentary Questions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether her Department has a traffic light system in place for processing parliamentary questions, where questions are categorised using a colour code.

Margaret Beckett: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office tries to meet all deadlines when answering parliamentary questions and does not use a traffic light or colour coded system for classifying or answering them.

Parliamentary Questions

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether her Department uses an internal  (a) traffic light and  (b) colour coded system to answer written parliamentary questions; and whether her Department grades or classifies written parliamentary questions according to their political sensitivity.

Margaret Beckett: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office tries to meet all deadlines when answering parliamentary questions and does not use a traffic light or colour coded system for classifying or answering them.

Refugees

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate she has made of the number of refugees entering  (a) Chad and  (b) the Central African Republic; what assessment she has made of acts of violence perpetrated by cross-border rebel groups; and what reports she has received on whether these rebel groups are supported by the Janjaweed militia.

Ian McCartney: We are concerned for the safety and security of the 233,000 Sudanese refugees and the 45,000 refugees from the Central Africa Republic currently in Chad, also for the 100,000 Sudanese refugees in the Central Africa Republic.
	Chadian rebels and Darfur militia continue to mount cross-border attacks into eastern Chad from Darfur. We have seen reports of the recent attacks and condemn the violence. We are urging both the Sudan and Chadian governments to implement and abide by the terms of the Tripoli Agreement and respect each other's borders. We are pressing the government of Sudan to neutralise and disarm the Janjaweed and expel foreign fighters from Darfur as soon as possible, as required under the Darfur Peace Agreement.

Rwanda

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the UK Government provided support to President Kagame of Rwanda  (a) before and  (b) in the immediate aftermath of his coming to power.

Ian McCartney: The Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), of which Paul Kagame was leader, took power in 1994 at the end of the genocide (he became President of Rwanda in 2000). The Government did not provide support to Kagame before or immediately after the RPF came to power.
	However, the UK did give limited material support to the new Government during the 12 months immediately following the genocide, to a value of approximately 3 million up to July 1995.

Rwanda

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the implications for stability in the Great Lakes region of the French judicial authorities' pending indictment of President Kagame of Rwanda.

Ian McCartney: Following a French judicial investigation into the shooting down of President Habyarimana's plane in 1994, arrest warrants have been issued for nine Rwandan officials. We are not aware of an arrest warrant for President Kagame.
	The security situation in the Great Lakes region remains fragile, particularly in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in the immediate post-election period. We welcome the recent improvement in relations between DRC and Rwanda and the implications for the region. The UK remains committed to supporting the creation of long term peace and security in the DRC and the region as a whole.

Saudi Arabia

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether she has been informed of any planned visits to the UK by any Saudi government ministers in the next three months.

Kim Howells: We are not aware of any planned visits by Saudi government Ministers to UK in the next three months.

Somalia

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the extent to which there are links between Al-Qaeda and Islamic Courts in Somalia; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: We are aware of allegations that there are links between extremist elements of the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) and Al Qaeda. The Chairman of the Standing Committee of the UIC Shura Council, Sheik Hassan Dahir Aweys, is named in UN Security Council resolution 1267 and in a US list of individuals with links to terrorism. The UIC has denied any links. We continue to urge the UIC to respect international law, to renounce terrorism and not to allow the areas of Somalia over which they hold sway to become a safe haven for terrorists.

Somalia

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the Somalia Monitoring Group's report and recommendations; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: We, along with our UN Security Council partners, are considering the findings of the Somalia Monitoring Group's report and the responses of states alleged to have violated the arms embargo. With our Security Council partners we continue to urge all parties inside and outside Somalia to refrain from action that could provoke violence, to respect the UN arms embargo on Somalia and to pursue a peaceful resolution through dialogue.

Somalia

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports she has received on the security situation in Somalia.

Ian McCartney: I refer the hon. Member to the reply my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary gave to the right hon. Member for Richmond, Yorks (Mr. Hague) on 27 November 2006,  Official Report, columns 469-70W.

Somalia

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports she has received of the conflict in Somalia; and what action she is taking to establish a sustainable peace.

Ian McCartney: I refer the hon. Member to the reply my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary gave to the right hon. Member for Richmond, (Yorks) (Mr. Hague) on 27 November 2006,  Official Report, columns 469-470W.

South Africa

Hywel Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had recently with the South African High Commissioner on strengthening commercial, cultural and educational links between the United Kingdom and the People's Republic of South Africa; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: Commerce, culture and education were themes covered during the 7th UK-South Africa Bilateral Forum, chaired by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary in May this year. During the Bilateral Forum, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and the South African Minister for Arts and Culture also signed the UK-South Africa Film Co-production treaty.
	There are regular ministerial visits to and from South Africa, in which our strong bilateral co-operation in the fields of commerce, culture and education are discussed. My department maintains a regular dialogue with the South African High Commission in London.

Sudan

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports she has received of a new ground and air offensive in Sudan in the last week; and what representations she has made to the Government of Sudan.

Ian McCartney: In the last week there have been renewed ground and air attacks in Darfur carried out by both Sudanese forces and Arab militia groups. They have targeted civilians, resulting in many deaths and displacements.
	We utterly condemn these attacks; they are in breach of the Darfur Peace Agreement and a severe impediment to the political peace process. We have repeatedly called on the Government of Sudan to halt its military action in Darfur, to honour its commitment to disarm the Janjaweed, and to pursue a peaceful political settlement. That is why we supported the UN Secretary-General's efforts in Addis on 16 November, and why we shall continue to press for Sudanese agreement to the outcome of that meeting.

Sudan

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the briefing Jan Egeland delivered to the UN Security Council on the situation in Darfur.

Ian McCartney: Jan Egeland, the United Nations Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, addressed the Security Council on 22 November on his return from Sudan. He said that the number of people in Darfur needing humanitarian assistance had now risen to four million and the number of internally displaced to two million. Large new militias were being armed. There was rampant insecurity. The Government of Sudan were imposing serious obstacles to the operations of humanitarian agencies.
	The Government are appalled at the conditions described by Mr. Egeland. We call for all acts of violence, the arming of militias and restrictions on the activities of humanitarian agencies to cease immediately. As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister told President Bashir when they spoke on 22 November, the Government of Sudan must co-operate with the international community in implementing the agreement reached in Addis Ababa on 16 November.

Sudan

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what role the UK played in reaching the peace agreement in Eastern Sudan.

Ian McCartney: International observers were not permitted to attend the talks that led to the signing of the Eastern Sudan Peace Agreement by the Eastern Front and the Government of National Unity on 14 October. The UK funded an adviser to the Eritrean-led mediation process, and officials in London, Khartoum and Asmara were in regular touch with both parties as the process evolved.

Sudan

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the terms are of the recent peace agreement in Eastern Sudan; who is party to the agreement; what the time-scale is for its implementation; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: The Eastern Sudan Peace Agreement (ESPA) was signed by the Government of Sudan and the Eastern Front in Asmara on 14 October. The UK warmly welcomes the Agreement and we hope it will be the basis for lasting peace and security in eastern Sudan; and call on the parties to continue to work together to achieve this.
	The ESPA sets out arrangements for security and power and wealth sharing. Key elements include the establishment of the post of an assistant to the president from the Eastern Front; US$600 million for local development projects in eastern Sudan; and 5,000 Eastern Front troops to be incorporated into joint units with the Sudanese armed forces. The agreement relies heavily on structures and processes established by the North/South Comprehensive Peace Agreement, and, therefore, in parts shares its timeframe.

Sudan

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with the Beja Congress on the eastern peace agreement in Sudan.

Ian McCartney: UK officials have had regular contact with representatives of the Beja Congress through Department for International Development/Foreign and Commonwealth Office Officials in London and our Embassies in Khartoum and Asmara. We will remain in close touch as the Eastern Sudan Peace Agreement is implemented.

Thailand

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment she has made of civil liberties in Thailand.

Ian McCartney: Following the coup, martial law was imposed throughout the country and some restrictions were placed on the media and freedom of assembly.
	With our EU and international partners, we continue to monitor closely the political situation in Thailand and its effect on human, political and civil rights, as well as the rule of law. We urge the Thai authorities to lift martial law and other restrictions on political and individual liberty, to hold full democratic elections and to restore accountable democracy as soon as possible.

Uganda

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports she has received on violence at the recent rally in Uganda to be addressed by the main opposition leader Dr Kizza Besigye; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: On 18 November, Ugandan police used tear gas to disperse a meeting of supporters of the main opposition party the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC). On 17 November, the police had written to the FDC advising them against holding the rally in Constitution Square, because of the potential disruption to local businesses. We are aware of reports of violence, however there are no specific reports of anybody being injured in the unrest.
	Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers and officials continue to stress the importance of maintaining a pluralist democracy and upholding human rights in their contacts with Ugandan Ministers and officials.

Zimbabwe/Uganda (Elections)

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the conduct of the election  (a) in Zimbabwe in 2001 and  (b) in Uganda in 2006; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: The Zimbabwe presidential election of 2002 was widely and internationally condemned as deeply flawed. It was characterised by malpractice, with widespread violence and intimation by the ruling elite. My right hon. Friend the former Foreign Secretary (Mr. Straw) said,
	the failure of the electoral process in Zimbabwe (was) a tragedy not just for Zimbabwe, but for the people of southern Africa as a whole.
	In July 2006, the EU election observer mission released its final report on the February 2006 elections in Uganda. The report concluded that the elections fell short of full compliance with international principles for genuine democratic elections. However, the report also said that despite some shortcomings on election day, voting was generally well administered, transparent and competitive.
	Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers and officials continue to stress the importance of maintaining a pluralist democracy and developing civil society in their contacts with Ugandan Ministers and officials, including in a meeting with President Museveni on 20 November. And we with partners will continue to maintain pressure on Mugabe to adhere to international electoral standards and create a level playing field for all those involved in Zimbabwean society.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Carbon Monoxide Deaths

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the Health and Safety Executive will have a role in investigating the recent deaths of British citizens in Corfu due to carbon monoxide poisoning.

Anne McGuire: I offer my condolences to the family and friends of those who died in this tragic accident.
	The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) does not have a formal role in the investigation because their investigation powers, under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, do not extend to foreign jurisdictions.
	However, HSE's approved provider of the national register of gas installers under gas safety regulationsCORGIhas offered technical assistance to the Greek investigation, and is also publicising gas safety messages to UK tour operators and to holidaymakers travelling abroad.

Children in Poverty

John MacDougall: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the proportion of children in  (a) Glenrothes and  (b) Scotland living in poverty in each of the last 10 years.

Jim Murphy: The available information is in the table. Estimates are shown both before and after housing costs. Information is not available below the level of nation or Government office region.
	
		
			  Percentage of children living in low income households: Scotland 1994/95-1996/97 to 2002/03-2004/05 
			  Percentage 
			   Before housing costs  After housing costs 
			 1994-95 to 1996-97 27 31 
			 1995-96 to 1997-98 28 32 
			 1996-97 to 1998-99 28 31 
			 1997-98 to 1999-2000 27 30 
			 1998-99 to 2000-01 26 30 
			 1999-2000 to 2001-02 25 30 
			 2000-01 to 2002-03 24 29 
			 2001-02 to 2003-04 23 27 
			 2002-03 to 2004-05 21 25 
			  Notes:  1. Percentages are presented using a three-year moving average, as single-year estimates do not provide a robust guide to year-on-year changes. Hence, figures are not consistent with any previously published single-year estimates and there may be differences in changes over time. In circumstances such as a change in trend, moving averages will show less variation than single-year estimates.  2. Low income is determined for children as living in households with incomes below 60 per cent. of the Great Britain median.  3. Information is not available below the level of nation in Scotland and Wales or Government office region in England.  Source:  Family Resources Survey.

Council Tax Benefit

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many households in Bristol, East constituency are in receipt of council tax benefit; and how many of those recipients are  (a) pensioner and  (b) non-pensioner households.

James Plaskitt: The information is not available.

Employment and Support Allowance

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he plans to announce the new benefit levels under the proposed employment and support allowance.

Jim Murphy: No final decisions have yet been made on the exact benefit rate for the main phase of employment and support allowance or when the rate of benefit will be announced. In the main phase of the benefit, the rate will be higher than the current rate of long-term incapacity benefit and the most severely disabled people will receive a higher rate still.

Expatriate Pensions

John MacDougall: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what factors were taken into account when deciding not to uprate in line with inflation the basic state pensions of pensioners living in  (a) Canada,  (b) Australia and  (c) New Zealand.

James Purnell: The UK state pension is payable in all countries abroad to those who are entitled to it. It is uprated in the same way for UK pensioners living overseas where there is a reciprocal social security agreement or a legal requirement to do so. There are currently no reciprocal agreements which provide for the uprating of pensions with the countries listed. We have no plans to change these arrangements.

Financial Assistance Scheme

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much has been paid out by the Financial Assistance Scheme since its inception; and how many people are receiving payments.

James Purnell: The Financial Assistance Scheme has paid a total of 1,947,591.79 gross (1,558,055.97 net) to 557 qualifying members (as of 17 November 2006). In addition payments will be made to a further 133 people when they reach age 65.

Former Prisoners

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of former prisoners who are claiming social security benefits.

James Plaskitt: The information is not available.

Incapacity Benefit

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many appeals by claimants against decisions on non-entitlement to incapacity benefit there have been in each year since 2000; what the average length of time taken to determine such appeals was in each year; and what the cost of such appeals was in each year.

Vera Baird: I have been asked to reply.
	The information is contained in the following table.
	
		
			  Financial year  Received  Average clearance (weeks)  Average unit cost () 
			 2000-01 48,520 14.3 208 
			 2001-02 49,770 15.0 219 
			 2002-03 61,150 12.2 231 
			 2003-04 62,970 10.7 271 
			 2004-05 62,600 9.9 257 
			 2005-06 63,630 9.5 260 
			  Notes: 1. All figures are subject to change as more up to date data become available. 2. Figures for latest months may increase substantially as information feeds through to the Appeals Service. 3. Received figures based on those received by the Appeals Service in the year specified. 4. Received figures are rounded to the nearest ten. 5. Figures exclude SDA cases. 6. Average clearance covers the period from date of receipt by the Appeals Service until the date a decision on the appeal is made. 7. Average unit cost is the average cost of clearing an appeal (all benefit types) by the Appeals Service.  Source:  100 per cent. download of the Generic Appeals Processing System (received count and average clearance)

Local Housing Allowance Pathfinders

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to review the evaluation findings from the Local Housing Allowance Pathfinders on people aged under 25 years; and if he will take into account those findings before finalising the proposed secondary legislation to be made under the provisions of the Welfare Reform Bill.

James Plaskitt: The evaluation findings from the Local Housing Allowance Pathfinders for under 25-year-olds were taken into account in the eleventh sitting of the Welfare Reform Bill Commons Standing Committee, where the housing benefit provisions for people aged under 25 were debated.
	The Government will continue to consider the evaluation findings as the Welfare Reform Bill progresses through the House of Commons and the House of Lords. However, the commitment to the principles behind the Shared Room Rate remains.

Medical Assessments

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of medical assessments for  (a) disability living allowance,  (b) attendance allowance,  (c) industrial injuries disablement benefit and  (d) incapacity benefit have been appealed in each of the last five years; and what the cost was of administering such appeals in each year.

Vera Baird: I have been asked to reply.
	The information is not available in the format requested as data are not captured on the number of medical assessments which are appealed against.
	The following tables instead give details of the total number of claims and appeals for disability living allowance, attendance allowance, industrial injuries disablement benefit and incapacity benefit as well as the average unit cost of administering an appeal.
	
		
			  Disability living allowance 
			   Total number of claims received(includes awards and refusals)  Number of appeals 
			 2001-02 407,810 83,430 
			 2002-03 433,350 81,710 
			 2003-04 442,150 84,330 
			 2004-05 427,550 85,580 
			 2005-06 430,520 82,230 
		
	
	
		
			  Attendance allowance 
			   Total number of claims received(includes awards and refusals)  Number of appeals 
			 2001-02 386,540 11,490 
			 2002-03 399,790 10,320 
			 2003-04 422,140 9,730 
			 2004-05 393,890 8,200 
			 2005-06 410,730 7,220 
		
	
	
		
			  Industrial injuries disablement benefit 
			   Total number of claims received(includes awards and refusals)  Number of appeals 
			 2001-02 n/a 22,330 
			 2002-03 61,820 18,350 
			 2003-04 57,570 15,560 
			 2004-05 44,110 12,240 
			 2005-06 40,230 11,560 
		
	
	
		
			  Incapacity benefit 
			   Total number of claims received(includes awards and refusals)  Number of appeals 
			 2001-02 625,980 49,770 
			 2002-03 705,570 61,150 
			 2003-04 665,840 62,970 
			 2004-05 590,760 62,600 
			 2005-06 530,200 63,630 
		
	
	
		
			  Average unit cost of administering an appeal (all benefit types within the Tribunals Service only) 
			   Average unit cost () 
			 2001-02 219 
			 2002-03 231 
			 2003-04 271 
			 2004-05 257 
			 2005-06 260 
			  Notes: 1. Figures on claims and appeals are rounded to nearest 10. 2. Figures for industrial injuries disablement benefit claims are not available prior to April 2002. 3. 'Number of appeals relates to the number received by the Tribunals Service (previously Appeals Service) in the year specified and may not relate to a claim counted in the same year.  The following special points should be noted :  Appeals Data: 1. All figures are subject to change as more up to date data become available. 2. Figures for the latest months may increase substantially as information feeds through to the Appeals Service. 3. Migration of customer records from the existing Generic Appeals Processing Systems (GAPS) to the new G2 system commenced on  5 June 2006. Consequently during the migration period information from GAPS will over time diminish while G2 will increase. 4. Received denotes the number of appeals registered at the Appeals Service.  Source: 100 per cent. download of the Generic Appeals Processing System.  Benefit Data: 1. DLA figures include top up DLA and a small number of Mob A claims. 2. DLA and AA figures for January 2000 are estimated. 3. Total number of claims received includes claims awarded, refused, withdrawn and defective.  Source:  Management Information Systems

Pensions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library the data underlying the graph on page 46 of the response to the report by the Parliamentary Ombudsman 'Trusting in the Pensions Promise' showing cash and net present value cost over time for compensating those who have suffered diminutions in their pensions.

James Purnell: I refer the hon. Gentleman to my reply to the hon. Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr. Hammond), on 8 November 2006,  Official Report, columns 1636-37.

Poverty

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of households living in poverty in each UK constituency have  (a) one parent and  (b) both parents in work.

Jim Murphy: The information is not available.

Poverty

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many children have been classed as living in poverty in each of the last 10 years when poverty is defined as  (a) less than 50 per cent. and  (b) less than 60 per cent. of the median national income, broken down by (i) electoral ward in London and (ii) constituency.

Jim Murphy: The figures are not available by UK constituency or London electoral ward.
	Specific information regarding low income in the Government office regions and countries of Great Britain is available in the Households Below Average Income 1994-1995 to 2004-05 publication. This is available in the House of Commons Library.

Poverty

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what pension income a single pensioner in the UK would have needed in 2005-06 to avoid being classed as being in relative poverty on the 60 per cent. of median income definition, assuming entitlement to and take-up of housing benefit and council tax benefit.

James Purnell: The information requested is not available. Data for 2005-06 are expected to be published in the spring of 2007.

Poverty

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much income a single pensioner would have needed to receive in each year from 1990-91 to 2006-07 to avoid being classed as poor on the definition of relative poverty using 60 per cent. of median income.

James Purnell: Specific information regarding low income for Great Britain is available in the publication Households Below Average Income 1994-95 to 2004-05.
	The survey from which estimates are provided started in 1994-95, and there is no suitable data source for the years prior to 1994-95. The latest available data are for 2004-05, with data for 2005-06 expected to be published in the spring of 2007.
	The following table shows the weekly income in pounds, after housing costs have been accounted for, that a single pensioner would have needed to avoid being below the 60 per cent. of median income for the years 1994-95 to 2004-05.
	
		
			   2004-prices after housing costs () 
			 1994-95 76 
			 1995-96 76 
			 1996-97 80 
			 1997-98 81 
			 1998-99 83 
			 1999-2000 86 
			 2000-01 90 
			 2001-02 95 
			 2002-03 98 
			 2003-04 99 
			 2004-05 100

Poverty

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what level of income a UK pensioner needed to avoid relative poverty on the 60(th) median income definition in each year from 1995-96 to 2004-05; and if he will make a statement.

James Purnell: Specific information regarding low income for Great Britain is available in the publication Households Below Average Income 1994-95 to 2004-05.
	The coverage of the survey from which estimates are provided is Great Britain and estimates for a pensioner in the United Kingdom are not available.
	The following table shows the weekly income in pounds, after housing costs have been accounted for, that a single pensioner in Great Britain would have needed to avoid being below the 60 per cent. of median income for the years 1995-96 to 2004-05.
	
		
			   2004-05 prices; after housing costs () 
			 1995-96 76 
			 1996-97 80 
			 1997-98 81 
			 1998-99 83 
			 1999-2000 86 
			 2000-01 90 
			 2001-02 95 
			 2002-03 98 
			 2003-04 99 
			 2004-05 100

Social Fund

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the costs of administering the Social Fund were in each of the last 10 years.

James Plaskitt: The Department accounts for its administrative expenditure by strategic objective as set out in its public service agreements (PSA) and by individual requests for resources (RfRs) as set out in the departmental estimates and accounts, and not by benefit. Information on administrative expenditure by strategic objective is available in the annually published departmental report, copies of which are available in the Library.

State Pension

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether it is the policy of his Department to make a statement on the timing of the restoration of the link between the basic state pension and average earnings within the first year of the next parliament; and if he will make a statement.

James Purnell: The White Paper on pension reform, Security in retirement: towards a new pensions system, published on 25 May, states that the Government will make a statement on the precise date of the earnings uprating of the basic state pension at the beginning of the next Parliament.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Business Growth Plans

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much his Department spent on Belfast, West owned businesses to implement growth plans through the development of markets outside Northern Ireland in each year since April 2002.

Maria Eagle: The following table provides the information requested.
	
		
			  Financial year  Assistance offered ( million) 
			 2002-03 2.6 
			 2003-04 4.2 
			 2004-05 2.1 
			 2005-06 1.2 
			 Total 10.1

Environmental Improvement Schemes

Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much has been spent on environmental improvement schemes in each district council area in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years.

David Hanson: The following table shows the amount of funding spent by the Department for Social Development on Environmental Improvement Schemes and includes spending on public realm schemes during the last five years.
	
		
			   
			  Name of Council  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Antrim130,140.00 164,653.15 
			 Ards  
			 Armagh City30,000.00 323,000.00 
			 Ballymena 65,793.78 
			 Ballymoney  
			 Banbridge  80,808.56 306,152.37 240,620.00 4,820.00 
			 Belfast City 2,890,294.00 2,985,673.31 4,031,996.19 6,394,924.87 2,463,925.50 
			 Carrickfergus 6,824.79 
			 Castlereagh  
			 Coleraine  2,273.03 100,519.44 138,873.58 466,761.33 
			 Cookstown   6,255.00   
			 Craigavon  
			 Derry City 793,880.47 333,179.77 451,570.89 314,183.04 148,924.57 
			 Down  23,750.00  2,500.00  
			 Dungannon and South Tyrone  
			 Fermanagh57,519.37 1,142,480.63 
			 Larne   4,880.00 12,375.00  
			 Limavady  Nil Nil 102,513.74 303,739.57 
			 Lisburn  
			 Magherafelt  
			 Moyle 385,876.31 
			 Newry  23,750.00 82,501.34 14,949.90 42,500.00 
			 Newtownabbey  
			 North Down 126,836.22 
			 Omagh  1,650.00 3,800.00 93,575.32 924,460.91 
			 Strabane 97,625.00 81,635.51 15,279.36 1,750.00 189,963.86

Industrial Development Board

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many jobs the former Industrial Development Board created in Belfast, West in  (a) 1992 to 1997 and  (b) 1997 to 2001.

Maria Eagle: The Industrial Development Board did not directly create jobs. It attracted investors to Northern Ireland and assisted businesses to grow and develop which in turn may have led to job creation. Information on job promotions is not available by parliamentary constituency prior to 1995-96. Information has therefore been provided from 1995-96 onwards.
	 (a) Between 1995-96 and 1996-97, 1,287 jobs were promoted through IDB assisted investment in Belfast, West.
	 (b) Between 1997-98 and 2001-02 1,335 jobs were promoted through IDB assisted investment in Belfast, West.

Invest Northern Ireland

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much Invest Northern Ireland has spent in the constituency of Belfast, West in each year since April 2002.

Maria Eagle: The following table details the amount of assistance offered within the constituency of Belfast, West each year since April 2002.
	
		
			  Financial Year  Assistance offered ( million) 
			 2002-03 4.2 
			 2003-04 8.1 
			 2004-05 8.5 
			 2005-06 2.1

Invest Northern Ireland

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much Invest Northern Ireland has spent in Belfast, West constituency to support business improvement, trade development and knowledge management projects in each year since April 2002.

Maria Eagle: This information is not available on a parliamentary constituency basis for 2002-03. Information is therefore presented from 2003-04 to 2005-06.
	The following table presents Invest NI assistance offered in Belfast, West parliamentary constituency to support business development, knowledge management and research and development projects 2003-04 to 2005-06.
	
		
			  Assistance Offered 
			   000 
			  Financial Year  Business Improvement  Knowledge Management  Research and Development  Total 
			 2003-04 717.9 239.3 397.6 1354.8 
			 2004-05 160.5 7.9 446.3 614.7 
			 2005-06 876.8  317.0 1193.8 
			 Total 1,755.2 247.2 1,160.9 3,163.3

Invest Northern Ireland

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage financial assistance provided by Invest Northern Ireland was spent in Belfast, West constituency in each year since April 2002 as part of the 'Targeting Social Need' initiative.

Maria Eagle: On average 95 per cent. of this assistance was made to new 'Targeting Social Need' (nTSN) areas within the constituency.

Invest Northern Ireland

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many first-time inward-investment projects were located in Belfast, West constituency in each year since April 2002.

Maria Eagle: The following table shows the number of first-time inward investment projects located in Belfast, West since April 2002
	
		
			  Financial year  Projects 
			 2002-03 2 
			 2003-04 2 
			 2004-05 1 
			 2005-06 1 
			 Total 6

Invest Northern Ireland

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many inward-investment visits were arranged by INVEST Northern Ireland in Belfast, West constituency in each year since April 2002.

Maria Eagle: Since April 2002 there have been 580 inward visits by potential investors to Northern Ireland, of which 43 (7.4 per cent.) were to Belfast, West constituency. Figures for the current year are not yet available.
	
		
			   Total inward investment visits to Belfast, West 
			 2002-03 9 
			 2003-04 10 
			 2004-05 20 
			 2005-06 4 
			 Total 43

Invest Northern Ireland

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many inward-investment sponsored jobs have been lost in Belfast, West constituency since April 2004.

Maria Eagle: Information relating to the performance of Invest NI client companies is available to the year ended March 2005. This shows that externally owned clients in Belfast, West lost 321 jobs from April 2004 to March 2005.

Invest Northern Ireland

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much financial assistance has been given in the form of selective financial assistance by INVEST Northern Ireland to  (a) encourage the start-up and growth of local and foreign owned business in Belfast, West and  (b) attract investment into Belfast, West in each year since April 2002.

Maria Eagle: This information has been provided in the tables:
	
		
			  Start up and growth 
			  Financial year  Assistance offered () 
			 2002-03 1,916,300 
			 2003-04 3,325,582 
			 2004-05 452,476 
			 2005-06 474,409 
		
	
	
		
			  Attract Investment 
			  Financial year  Assistance offered () 
			 2002-03 400,000 
			 2003-04 3,577,390 
			 2004-05 6,449,500 
			 2005-06 67,911

Local Government Finance

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether a material change to a domestic property without a change to the ownership of the property will result in a change to the domestic rates bill under the new system for local government finance in Northern Ireland.

David Hanson: A material change to a domestic property, without a change to the ownership of the property, will result in a change to the domestic rates bill under the new system provided that the material change results in a change in the capital value of the property. It should be noted that alterations to property will not affect liability until the next rating year following their revised assessment.
	This was the case under the old net annual valuation system introduced in 1977 and similar arrangements have been in operation in Northern Ireland for over one hundred years.

Rates Revaluation

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the estimated total cost of the Northern Ireland rates revaluation is in  (a) absolute terms and  (b) per house valued.

David Hanson: The estimated total cost of the Northern Ireland rates revaluation in which approximately 720,000 properties were given capital values is  (a) 13.5 million in gross terms and  (b) this equates to 18.75 per property.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

A-level Syllabus

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many and what percentage of examinations boards have withdrawn the option of studying Chaucer as part of their A-level syllabus in the last three years; and what discussions he has had with such boards.

Jim Knight: All the awarding bodies offering GCEs in the UKAQA, CCEA, Edexcel, OCR and WJECprovide an option to study Chaucer.

Bonus Payments

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much was paid in bonuses to civil servants in his Department each year since 2001-02; and how many civil servants received bonuses in each year.

Parmjit Dhanda: I would refer my right hon. Friend to the reply given to the hon. Member for Twickenham (Dr. Cable) on 8 November 2006:  Official Report, column 1706W.

Children and Adoption Act 2006

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when he expects to bring into force each provision of the Children and Adoption Act 2006.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Government are currently considering plans for implementation of provisions in the Children and Adoption Act 2006. I expect to place a written ministerial statement in the House in the new year outlining the timetable for implementation of each provision.

Children in Care/Custody

Iain Duncan Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the mean per capita cost was of  (a) keeping a child in care,  (b) educating a child in care,  (c) keeping a child in custody and  (d) educating a child in custody in each of the last five years; what the total expenditure was in each category in each year; how these figures are collated; who is responsible for collecting the data; and since when such records have been kept.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Information Centre (IC) for health and social care is currently responsible for collecting data on the costs of keeping a child in care. DfES will take responsibility for the collection in 2008-09. The IC has provided the following information on children in care.
	Data on Personal Social Services Expenditure have been recorded since the financial year 1994-95 via a statistical return issued to councils on an annual basis. From 2000-01 the PSSEX1 return replaced the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) Actuals return RO3, which was discontinued after 1999-2000. The PSSEX1 is a joint return between the IC for health and social care and CIPFA. The Department of Health was responsible for this return from 2000-01 to 2003-04, from 2004-05 the return has been the responsibility of the IC.
	
		
			  Unit cost per week to look after a child in care, England 2000-01 to 2004-05 
			  Children looked after in foster care or children's homes( 1)   per child per week 
			 2000-01 502 
			 2001-02 487 
			 2002-03 560 
			 2003-04 620 
			 2004-05 675 
			 (1) This includes short term placements, respite, placed for adoption (with foster care) and residential school placements (with children's homes) for children looked after and full cost paying. This is the Performance Assessment Framework Indicator B8.  Source: PSSEX1 
		
	
	
		
			  Total expenditure for looked after children and youth justice, England 2000-01 to 2004-05 
			  000 
			   2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05 
			 Total for looked after children(1) 1,316,000 1,427,300 1,567,600 1,765,300 1,932,700 
			  of which:  
			 Children looked after in foster care or children's homes(2) 1,245,300 1,337,800 1,484,800 11,657,200 1,805,000 
			 Total for Youth Justice(3) 105,800 121,300 148,700 1173,200 181,800 
			 (1) This includes children's homes, fostering services and other children looked after services such as lodgings or hostel and residential, respite and emergency nights in residential beds at family centres and secured accommodation for welfare reasons. (2) This includes short term placements, respite, placed for adoption (with foster care) and residential school placements (with children's homes) for children looked after and full cost paying. This is the Performance Assessment Framework Indicator B8. (3) This is the cost for providing or purchasing secure accommodation for those children that have a security requirement placed on them for youth justice reasons under section 53 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1993.  Source:  PSSEX1 
		
	
	 (b) The specific costs of educating a child in care are not collected centrally but most children in care attend maintained schools. DfES collects and publishes expenditure per pupil in maintained schools, as follows:
	
		
			  School based expenditure( 1,2,3)  per pupil( 4)  in cash terms since 1992-93 in England 
			 ( 9)  per pupil in cash terms 
			   Local authority maintained preprimary and primary schools( 8)  Local Authority maintained primary schools( 7)  Local Authority maintained secondary schools  Local Authority maintained pre-primary primary and secondary schools  Local Authority maintained primary and secondary schools 
			 1992-93 1,560  2,260 1,850  
			 1993-94 1,610  2,240 1,850  
			 1994-95 1,660  2,270 1,890  
			 1995-96 1,690  2.300 1,920  
			 1996-97 1,740  2,350 1,960  
			 1997-98(5) 1,740  2,360 1,970  
			 1998-99(5) 1,870  2,450 2,090  
			   
			 1999-2000(2,6) 2,050 2,010 2,610 2,290 2,260 
			 2000-01 2,280 2,210 2,830 2,510 2,480 
			 2001-02 2,570 2,480 3,150 2,820 2,770 
			   
			 2002-03(2,3)  2,530 3,230  2,840 
			 2003-04  2,750 3.550  3,110 
			 2004-05  2,910 3.800  3,310 
			 2005-06 (provisional)  3,150 4.070  3,570 
			 (1) School based expenditure includes only expenditure incurred directly by the schools. This includes the pay of teachers and school-based support staff, school premises costs, books and equipment, and certain other supplies and services, less any capital items funded from recurrent spending and income from sales, fees and charges and rents and rates. This excludes the central cost of support services such as home to school transport, local authority administration and the financing of capital expenditure. (2) 1999-2000 saw a change in data source when the data collection moved from the RO1 form collected by the ODPM to the Section 52 form from the DfES. 2002-03 saw a further break in the time series following the introduction of Consistent Financial Reporting (CFR) to schools and the associated restructuring of the outturn tables. The change in sources is shown by the blank row. Comparable figures are not available prior to 1992-93. (3) The calculation for 2002-03 onwards is broadly similar to the calculation in previous years. However, 2001-02 and earlier years includes all premature retirement compensation (PRC) and Crombie payments, mandatory PRC payments and other indirect employee expenses. In 2001-02 this accounted for approximately 70 per pupil. From 2002-03 onwards only the schools element of these categories is included and this accounted for approximately 50 per pupil of the 2002-03 total. Also, for some LAs, expenditure that had previously been attributed to the school sectors was reported within the LA part of the form from 2002-03, though this is not quantifiable from existing sources. (4) Pupil numbers include only those pupils attending maintained establishments within each sector and are drawn from the DfES Annual Schools Census adjusted to be on a financial year basis. (5) Spending in 1997-98 reflects the transfer of moneys from local government to central government for the nursery vouchers scheme. These were returned to local government from 1998-99. (6) The 1999-2000 figures reflect the return of GM schools to local authority maintenance. (7) Expenditure was not distinguished between the pre-primary and primary sectors until the inception of Section 52 for financial year 1999-2000. (8) School based expenditure in nursery schools was not recorded in 2002-03 and comparable figures for nursery expenditure are not available from 2003-04 onwards. (9) Figures are as reported by local authorities as at 18 October and are rounded to the nearest 10.  Source: Up to and including 1998-99, Local Authority Revenue Outturn (RO1) forms submitted to the ODPM, then Local Authority Section 52 Outturn returns submitted to the DfES from 1999-2000. Pupil numbers are drawn from the DfES Annual Schools Census 
		
	
	The Youth Justice Board (YJB) has been responsible for collecting information on the costs of keeping children in custody since it began contracting places in April 2000. The YJB has provided the following information.
	Cost of keeping a child in custody in financial year 2005-06:
	Secure Training Centres47.2 million, for 274 places = 172,300 per capita
	Secure Children's Homes 43.6 million, for 235 places = 185,500 per capita
	Young Offender Institutes (YOI)147 million, for 2,768 places = 53,100 per capita
	Total expenditure in this category = 237.8 million (this includes spend on education broken down as follows).
	The financial year 2005-06 is the last full year for which figures are available. Precise figures are not readily available for previous years but the figures are estimated to be similar to the last five years. For Secure Training Centres (STC) and Secure Children's Homes (SCH), the costs have increased by approximately 3 per cent. (just above inflation) per year.
	Custody data come from the YJB Service Delivery team who manage the contracts and service level agreements with custody providers in the STC, SCH and YOI sectors. They use information on total contract price and number of beds provided to calculate per capita costs.
	Cost of educating a child in custody in financial year 2005-06:
	Secure Training Centres5 million, for 274 places = 18,200 per capita (estimated)
	Secure Children's Homes6.5 million, for 235 places = 27,700 per capita (estimated)
	Young Offender Institutes22.5 million, for 2,768 places = 8,100 per capita
	Education figures in STCs and SCHs are YJB estimates because it is not possible to disaggregate the cost of education from the total contract price. Education in YOIs over the last five years data also come from the YJB Service Delivery team. Education was an identified part of contracts first with the Prison Service, then in some regions with the Learning and Skills Council, and next year will be wholly paid to and delivered by LSC.

Children's Centres

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if the Department will carry out a regulatory impact assessment on the implementation of children's centres as stipulated in Every Child Matters: Change for Children.

Beverley Hughes: There was no commitment in the Every Child Matters Green Paper to carry out a separate regulatory impact assessment (RIA) for children's centres, and we do not plan one in the future. Assessments have already been carried out that consider the impact of placing the Sure Start children's centre delivery model on a sustainable and long term footing. A partial RIA was conducted for the Green Paper that considered the level of regulation required to achieve a robust integrated framework of services and clear lines of accountability, inspection and intervention. A full RIA was then completed for the Childcare Act 2006 that included consideration of the statutory requirement to secure proactive, accessible and integrated services focused on the under fivesthe duty underpinning the delivery of high quality services through children's centres. This assessment concluded that the statutory duties introduced by the Act are supported through the additional resources made available for child care, nursery education, and Sure Start. Future funding levels will be determined through the normal spending review mechanisms.

Departmental Staff

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many staff have been employed through employment agencies in  (a) his Department and  (b) each of its agencies in each of the last five years for which information is available; and what the (i) average and (ii) longest time was for which these temporary workers were employed in each year.

Parmjit Dhanda: Statistics for temporary agency staff are recorded by days worked. The information detailed in the following table is for the calendar years 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005.
	
		
			   Days worked 
			 2002 31,229 
			 2003 27,087 
			 2004 16,940 
			 2005 19,438 
		
	
	Since 1 November 2004, the Department has used a single provider (Adecco) through a contract with HM Prison Service. The key requirement of DfES is the provision of temporary administrative and secretarial cover. The use of agency staff/agency engagements are kept as short as possible and only used to meet genuine short-term needs (i.e. no more than 13 weeks).
	Prior to 1 November 2004, the Department used Brook Street and Manpower employment agencies.
	The information requested to establish the average and longest time for which these temporary workers were employed in each year could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Driving Jobs

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many people are being trained for driving jobs in  (a) B,  (b) B1,  (c) C1,  (d) C,  (e) C1 and E,  (f) D,  (g) D1,  (h) D1 and E,  (i) D and E and  (j) F vehicle classifications.

Phil Hope: This Department does not collect this information.

Driving Jobs

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what grants are available for  (a) employers wishing to train staff and  (b) individuals wishing to gain training in driving-related employment.

Phil Hope: The Government offer a range of support to employers wishing to train their staff. The financial support from this Department is usually attached to the learner not the employer and is offered in the form of a subsidy rather than a grant. Our new Train to Gain programme offers a skills brokerage service to help employers source the training they need and any subsidies that might be available to them and free training for employees undertaking their first full NVQ level 2 qualification. While public funding to take driving tests is not generally available, there are a wide range of qualification-bearing courses for those wishing to engage in driving-related employmentfor example the NVQ2 in Road Passenger Transport.

Educational Psychologists

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what representations he has received about the funding of trainee educational psychologists in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Representations have been received from a number of interested organisations, including the Association of Educational Psychologists, the National Association of Principal Educational Psychologists and the British Psychological Society. Some representations have also been received from individual psychologists.
	My noble Friend, the Under- Secretary of State with responsibility for Schools, is to meet with representatives of the profession and the local authority employers' side for an update on the funding arrangements for those wishing to train to become an educational psychologist.

Energy Use

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what regulations govern the minimum and maximum temperatures for  (a) permanent and  (b) temporary classrooms in (i) primary and (ii) secondary schools.

Jim Knight: The Education (School Premises) Regulations, SI No.2,1999 give the minimum temperature for classrooms as 18(o)C. The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, Regulation 7 (1) state:
	During working hours, the temperature in all workplaces inside buildings shall be reasonable.
	This includes all classrooms including temporary classrooms. The Regulations are accompanied by an Approved Code of Practice and guidance.
	Since April 2005, the HSE has made available general guidance on temperatures and thermal comfort for all indoor workplaces on the HSE website:
	http://www.hse.gov.uk/temperature/thermal/index.htm.
	This guidance applies to employees and staff working in schools rather than school pupils, and applies to all workplaces.
	The HSE has not issued specific guidance on maximum and minimum temperatures in classrooms. However, the Department for Education and Skills has issued guidance for classrooms, on the popular questions website(1), which states:
	High temperaturesHeat Stress and dehydration can be serious problems at temperatures above 35 degrees centigrade so that should be regarded as the maximum reasonable temperature for prolonged periods of time in school classrooms. This temperature is above comfort temperatures but healthy children should be able to cope with this if they are given generous supplies of cool water to drink. More sensitive children may experience problems at much lower temperatures and staff need to watch for signs of heat stress at temperatures above 28 degrees centigrade. Schools with inadequate supplies of drinking water need to make arrangements for children to drink enough water. It should be remembered that the amount of water that can be delivered through drinking water fountains is small.
	(1) http://www.dfes.gov.uk/popularquestions/

Foster Care

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the use of long-term specialist foster carers to accommodate young people who run away from home; and if he will make a statement.

Parmjit Dhanda: We have not carried out an assessment of the use of long-term foster carers for young people who run away from home. However, we are currently working with The Children's Society to look at what local authority provision exists across the country in support of runaways, both to prevent them running away, and to ensure their safety and safe return when they do run away. We have also been supporting London councils in the early stages of the development of their pan-London runaways strategy; these councils are currently looking at the use of foster carers as one option for addressing the accommodation and support needs of runaways in the capital.

Free Speech (Universities)

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what guidance his Department has issued on the implementation of statutory duties in relation to free speech and freedom of association on university campuses.

Bill Rammell: Universities' responsibilities in regard to free speech and freedom of association were addressed in the guidance we issued on 17 November about tackling violent extremism in the name of Islam. This built on guidance issued by Universities UK last year on dealing with hate crimes and intolerance, which I supported.

Further Education Finance

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will take steps to improve the predictability of finance and income streams for further education institutions; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: It is important that further education institutions have a clear understanding of the Government's strategic direction for post-16 learning to enable them to allocate resources and to invest to best meet the needs of learners and employers. In each of the last two years we have published, some 10 months before the start of the funding year, a clear outline of our priorities giving providers the opportunity to prepare for forthcoming changes. This is significantly earlier than in previous years. The Learning and Skills Council's (LSC) Annual Statement of Priorities for 2007/08, published last month, builds on what we said last year in Priorities for Success, and outlines our funding priorities to meet the challenges of raising the skills and qualifications of young people and adults to world standards. The LSC will be consulting before the end of the year on proposals to develop funding and planning arrangements that better respond to the demand of learners and employers for high quality learning.

Higher Education

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many university and college admissions service applications there were in each of the last five years; how many came from each parliamentary constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The figures for the five most recently completed application cycles are given in the following table. Details of applicants by constituency are not held by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS).
	
		
			  Applicants to full-time undergraduate courses through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS)applicants from England 
			  Year of entry  Applicants 
			 2001 330,856 
			 2002 331,602 
			 2003 337,593 
			 2004 339,967 
			 2005 368,801 
			  Source: Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) 
		
	
	The most recent provisional figures for 2006 entry, which show the position at the middle of October, show that although there have been small decreases in both applicants and acceptances, this comes on the back of larger than usual increases in 2005. Compared to the same point in 2004, acceptance numbers are up by 12,000 or 4.3 per cent. The underlying trend is still up.

Higher Education

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many applications for funding by international students wishing to study at higher education institutions in England were received in each of the last five years.

Bill Rammell: The number of EU domiciled students who applied for support towards tuition fees in each of the last five years to study at institutions in England is given in the following table.
	
		
			  Academic year  Number of EU students applying for tuition fee support( 1) 
			 2001/02 22,200 
			 2002/03 20,000 
			 2003/04 18,300 
			 2004/05 19,400 
			 2005/06 20,400 
			 (1) Numbers rounded to the nearest 100.  Source: Student Loans Company (SLC) 
		
	
	Up to 2005/06, EU students were entitled to means-tested tuition fee support on a similar basis to UK students. From 2006/07, EU students are entitled to a non means-tested tuition fee loan to cover the cost of their tuition.
	Similarly, UK students who wish to study at a university in Europe are eligible to benefit from whatever fee support that country of study offers (i.e. in the same way that the country's nationals would be treated).
	Non-EU overseas students are not eligible for the financial support package which is available to home and EU students, hence no data are available for these students.

Independent Schools

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many special needs units were  (a) opened and  (b) closed in maintained schools in each year since 1997, broken down by local authority; and what estimate he has made of the number of such units which were (i) opened and (ii) closed in independent schools in each year, broken down by local authority;
	(2)  how many enhanced provision facilities were  (a) opened and  (b) closed in maintained schools in each year since 1997, broken down by local authority; and what estimate he has made of the number of such facilities which were (i) opened and (ii) closed in independent schools in each year, broken down by local authority;
	(3)  how many enhanced provision facilities there were in maintained schools in each year since 1997, broken down by local authority; and what his estimate is of the numbers in independent schools in each year, broken down by local authority;
	(4)  how many special needs units there were in  (a) maintained schools and  (b) independent schools in each year since 1997, broken down by local authority.

Parmjit Dhanda: holding answer 22 November 2006
	The information requested is not held centrally.
	In January 2007, the School Census will include an indicator that will allow the identification of pupils with special educational needs who are members of a SEN Unit within a maintained school.

Learning and Skills Council

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of Learning and Skills Council funding was spent on remedial training for  (a) level one and  (b) level two qualifications in each year between 2001 and 2006.

Bill Rammell: The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) is responsible for the planning and funding of post-16 education and training up to, but not including higher education. It has seen a real terms increase in funding between 2001-02 and 2006-07 of over 34 per cent.
	The proportion of LSC expenditure by level one and level two qualification by the categories requested is given in the following table. Information before 2003-04 is not available.
	
		
			  Percentage 
			   2003/04  2004/5  2005/06 
			  FE
			 Full level 2 6.7 6.7 8.7 
			 Other level 2 9.0 9.9 8.4 
			 Level 1 and entry 15.2 16.7 14.5 
			 Skills for life 17.3 17.9 18.0 
			 
			  PCDL 9.1 8.4 7.9 
			 
			  WBL
			 Entry to employment 0.3 0.2 0.2 
			 Apprenticeships 3.9 4.3 4.1

Ministerial Travel

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list the occasions since he has held his present office when he has used  (a) rail services,  (b) the London Underground,  (c) tram or light railway services and  (d) buses in connection with his ministerial duties.

Parmjit Dhanda: According to our records, the following journeys have been made by the types of transport listed above, in connection with ministerial duties:
	
		
			  Date  Destination  Mode of Transport 
			 7 June 2006 London to Birmingham New St.Return Rail 
			 27 June 2006 London to Coventry Rail 
			 11 July 2006 London to SheffieldReturn Rail 
			 18 July 2006 London to NottinghamReturn Rail 
			 21 July 2006 Hull to LeedsReturn Rail 
			 24 July 2006 London to LeicesterReturn Rail 
			 6 September 2006 London to CambridgeReturn Rail 
			 14 September 2006 London to Exeter Rail 
			 13 October 2006 London to Liverpool Lime Street Rail 
			 16 October 2006 London to Leeds Rail 
			 17 October 2006 London to Leeds Rail 
			 21 October 2006 Hull to Grantham Rail 
			 3 November 2006 London to Wolverhampton Rail 
		
	
	Ministers use public transport wherever possible and practical to complete their journey taking account of security considerations. All ministerial travel on official business is undertaken in accordance with the rules set out in Travel by Ministers.

Parliamentary Questions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether his Department has a traffic light system in place for processing parliamentary questions, where questions are categorised using a colour code.

Parmjit Dhanda: No. This Department aims to ensure that Members receive a substantive response to their named day question on the named day, and endeavours to answer ordinary written questions within a working week of being tabled.

Prisoner Education

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what research his Department has  (a) conducted and  (b) evaluated regarding the effect of prisoner education on reoffending rates; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Hope: holding answer 28 November 2006
	The Department for Education and Skills has not conducted or evaluated any research regarding the effect of prisoner education on reoffending rates, although the Home Office has an extensive programme of research that will consider how a range of treatments, interventions and support make a difference during and after custody.

Runaway Children

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when he expects to publish the evaluation report on the six developmental projects providing emergency accommodation for young runaways; and if he will make a statement.

Parmjit Dhanda: The contract to independently review and summarise the findings from the six community based refuge pilots has just been awarded to Barnardo's, and we aim to publish their report in spring 2007. We will disseminate the lessons learned to all local authorities and make it available to all interested stakeholders via the DfES website.

Runaway Children

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent representations he has received on provision of support for young people who have run away from home; and if he will make a statement.

Parmjit Dhanda: I have received six written parliamentary questions on runaways since recess. I have received no other formal representations.
	My Department takes the issue of young runaways very seriously. We are working across Government, with key national voluntary agencies such as the Children's Society, with regional organisations such as London councils and Government offices, and with all local authorities in England, to learn the lessons from the runaways refuge pilots and to incorporate best practice in runaways prevention and support into mainstream local children's services.

School Meals

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will ban the use of hydrogenated oils and fats in foods served and sold in school canteens.

Parmjit Dhanda: There are no plans to ban the use of hydrogenated oils and fats in goods served and sold in school canteens. However, new standards for school food, which began to be introduced from September 2006, will reduce their provision, as part of wider measures to reduce the provision of goods with a high fat content. The current food-based standards for lunch and, from September 2007, for food provided outside lunch, will reduce the provision of many foods which typically contain higher levels of hydrogenated fats and oils. And nutrient-based standards, from September 2008 in primary schools and September 2009 in secondary schools, will specify an upper limit for the proportion of energy to be derived from fat and saturated fat in an average school lunch.

Special Needs

Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 22 November 2006,  Official Report, column 109W, on special needs, what training on dyslexia the nationally accredited training regulations will contain.

Parmjit Dhanda: It is too early to say. Development work linked to the proposed introduction of nationally accredited training for newly appointed SEN co-ordinators has only just begun. In addition, we will need to consult on the associated regulations.

Student Finance/Loans

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills in what circumstances a woman with a family on low income is eligible for a maintenance grant to study for a degree; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: Students entering under the new support arrangements introduced in September 2006 are eligible for a non-repayable maintenance grant of up to 2,700 which is dependent on household income. Students with a household income of 17,500 or less are eligible for the full maintenance grant. Students with a household income above 17,500 up to 37,425 are eligible for a partial grant.
	There is a range of statutory and discretionary financial support available to undergraduate students with families. Students with dependent children can also apply for a childcare grant, a parents' learning allowance and, where applicable, child tax credits from HM Revenue and Customs. Students who have an adult dependant may be entitled to an adult dependants grant. Support may also be available from the discretionary Access to Learning Fund.

Student Finance/Loans

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the extent to which student loans are made available to those on low incomes.

Bill Rammell: All students who meet the personal eligibility criteria are able to apply for both a tuition fee loan and maintenance loan. The maximum amount of maintenance loan depends on household income and where the student is studying.
	Students from low income households, entering under the new support arrangements introduced in September 2006, are also eligible for a non-repayable maintenance grant of up to 2,700. Students with a household income of 17,500 or less are eligible for the full maintenance grant. Students with a household income above 17,500 up to 37,425 are eligible for a partial grant.

Student Finance/Loans

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many people in  (a) Bexleyheath and Crayford and  (b) the London Borough of Bexley are repaying student loans.

Bill Rammell: The number of borrowers known to be currently repaying publicly-owned mortgage style or income contingent student loans from  (a) Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency, and  (b) the London borough of Bexley is 810 and 2,210 respectively.
	Figures are based on a borrower's home address at the time of their application for student support.

The Olympics

Andy Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what role he plans for the further education sector in delivering his Olympic strategy; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The further education system has a vital contribution to make to the delivery of our strategy for a successful 2012 Olympic games and Paralympic games, and the enduring legacy that we will create. The sector will actively support all aspects of the Olympic strategy, from working with employers to meet their skill needs in the preparation of the sites and the running of the games, to boosting interest and participation in sport across all groups, and supporting elite sport competitors to fulfil their sporting and educational potential, to encouraging and supporting learners to make healthy living choices more generally.
	The FE sector will also contribute to several cross-cutting aims including: supporting the promotion of the Olympic ideals of doing one's personal best, fair play and cultural understanding; celebrating diversity, supporting inclusion and encouraging positive views of disability.
	The detailed plan which sets out the full range of actions and activities will be published next year.

University Departments

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what change there has been in the number of  (a) physics,  (b) chemistry and  (c) engineering departments at English universities in the past 12 months.

Bill Rammell: There has been no change to the number of university departments in these subjects over the last 12 months although, on 21 November, the Council of the University of Reading decided to close its physics department from 2010. The Higher Education Funding Council for England recently announced that an additional 75 million would be made available over three years from 2007-08 to support very high cost and vulnerable science subjects, including physics and chemistry. Figures from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) show that entrants to physics and chemistry courses in 2005-06 were up by 10 per cent., and that overall entrants to engineering also rose. Provisional figures for 2006-07 show that despite the small decrease in total entrants, those studying chemistry have increased and those studying physics have held steady.

University Students

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many university students there were in England on  (a) 2 May 1997 and  (b) the most recent date for which figures are available.

Bill Rammell: The figures are shown in the following table. The latest available information is for 2004-05; comparable figures for 2005-06 will be available in January 2007.
	
		
			  Number of enrolments to all English Institutions, split by level of study, for the academic years 1996-97 and 2004-05 
			   Academic year  Change between 1996-97 and 2004-05 
			  Level of study  1996-97  2004-05  Number  Percentage 
			 Postgraduates 272,915 372,510 99,595 36.5 
			 Undergraduates 1,159,240 1,428,165 268,925 23.2 
			 Total 1,432,155 1,800,675 368,520 25.7 
			  Notes:  1. Figures are on a snapshot basis as at 1 December and are rounded to the nearest five, therefore parts may not sum to totals. 2. Figures cover all students from the UK and Overseas on full-time and part-time courses.  Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) 
		
	
	The available information for years since 2004-05 covers students who have applied to full-time undergraduate courses through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS); they do not therefore cover postgraduate students, students on part-time courses or those full-time students who apply directly to institutions. The figures show that although there has been a small decrease in acceptances in 2006-07, this comes on the back of a larger than usual increase in 2005-06. Compared to the same point in 2004-05, acceptance numbers from England are up by 12,000 or 4.3 per cent. The underlying trend is still up.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Departmental Bodies

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the cost of the  (a) social exclusion task force,  (b) Better Regulation Executive and  (c) Office of the Third Sector has been since their creation; and what the estimated cost of each is for 2006-07.

Hilary Armstrong: The Better Regulation Executive's (BRE) costs in 2005-06 were 5.4 million. The BRE was created on 14 March 2005, just before the end of the financial year. It is not possible to separately identify BRE's costs on the Department's accounting system that relate solely from 14 March 2005 to 31 March 2005.
	The social exclusion task force (SETF) and the Office of the Third Sector (OTS) were established during 2006-07. Therefore, neither the SETF nor the OTS incurred any costs in 2005-06.
	Costs for 2006-07 will be available in the Cabinet Office's 2006-07 resource accounts. These should be published shortly before the 2007 summer recess.

Departmental Publications

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when the Guidance on Information Assurance security policy will be published as part of the Cabinet Office's Transformational Government programme.

Patrick McFadden: Guidance has been made available to Departments through their chief information officers and departmental security officers. In line with other Government security policies this information is not publicly available, however the Cabinet Office is intending to publish a risk assessment tool and associated policy guidance for electronic service delivery before Christmas; this will be available for use by the wider public sector.

e-Government

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what estimate she has made of the proportion of dealings with Government which can be done by a member of the public electronically.

Patrick McFadden: The proportion of dealings with Government that can be made by a member of the public electronically is subject to change as respective Departments expand, consolidate or diversify existing e-enabled services. The most recent assessment, completed in November 2006, has shown that 92 per cent. of public facing services are e-enabled and available to the public electronically.

Gender Equality

John Bercow: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 
	(1)  when she expects to publish the Cabinet Office's gender equality scheme;
	(2)  what steps she is taking to ensure that the Cabinet Office is taking steps to meet the requirements of the forthcoming duty on public bodies  (a) to end unlawful discrimination and harassment and  (b) to promote equality between women and men.

Patrick McFadden: The Cabinet Office is fully committed  (a) to end unlawful discrimination and harassment and  (b) to promote equality. It has been taking steps to action this commitment for a number of years and gender equality is an intrinsic part of our current diversity delivery plan.
	The Cabinet Office's gender equality scheme will be published by the end of April 2007.

Gender Equality

John Bercow: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what plans she has to carry out gender impact assessments of major policy developments and new legislation as required by the forthcoming gender equality duty.

Patrick McFadden: The Cabinet Office currently undertakes equality impact assessments on race and disability. The Department will ensure that gender impact assessments are undertaken on all major policy developments and new legislation as part of the gender equality scheme development starting from December 2006.
	The Department is about to commence a project in January 2007 to develop an integrated equality impact assessment tool to cover all equality strands to be in place by June 2007.

Health and Safety Offences

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what representations she has received from the Health and Safety Commission Unit on the levels of fines for health and safety offences; and if she will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: I have not received any representations from the Health and Safety Commission on this issue and neither have my ministerial colleagues at the Cabinet Office.
	However, I understand that Professor Macrory has received a response from the Commission as part of the Review of Regulatory Penalties. The Macrory Review final report was published on 28 November 2006, and the Government accepted it in full.

Ministerial Residences

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what trades and services are provided by the agency and specialist sub-contractors providing maintenance to Admiralty House.

Hilary Armstrong: It is not possible to separate what services are provided to one building as the Total Facilities Management Contract covers a number of buildings in London. The services provided by agency and specialist sub-contractors providing maintenance to Admiralty House is in accordance with the output specification of that contract.

Ministerial Residences

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether public expenditure has been incurred in refurbishing the flat above 10 Downing street since 31 March.

Hilary Armstrong: Audited information on costs incurred in refurbishing the flat above 10 Downing street since 31 March 2006 will not be available until the end of the financial year.

Private Finance Initiatives

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the total capital value is of each private finance initiative scheme overseen by her Department which has reached financial close; over what period repayments will take place; and what the total cost of repayment will be in each case.

Hilary Armstrong: There is one private finance initiative scheme in the Cabinet Office.
	The National School of Government's residential training centre at Sunningdale is operated under a PFI contract with a term of 30 years from 13 May 2002. The National School purchases the residential training and serviced office accommodation that it needs. The private sector partner sells spare capacity of the site on the open market.
	Under the contract the private sector partner undertook capital investment worth 12 million to fund a major upgrade to Sunningdale Park.
	The guaranteed payments as at the date of financial close for the first 15 years of the contract are 30.519 million and the payments made based on actual usage for the first four years are 14.440 million.

Volunteering

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much funding has been given to the GoldStar volunteering programme; and if she will make a statement.

Edward Miliband: GoldStar is a two-year, 5 million programme which was launched in November 2005. It is an exemplar programme designed to spread good practice about the recruitment and retention of volunteers, mentors and befrienders from groups at risk of social exclusion.
	There are two elements to the programme:
	it funds 46 volunteering and mentoring front line exemplar projects across England, with up to one third of project grants dedicated to spreading good practice to other projects at the local and regional level; and
	around 1 million is set aside for dissemination of good practice at the national level through conferences, seminars and publications including a dedicated website.
	Dedicated funding has allowed GoldStar projects to share learning in dynamic and effective ways. For example, Bolton Lads and Girls Club has established a training programme which uses e-based learning and a CD-ROM to enable other community groups to access information about mentoring for and by young Pakistani and Bangladeshi people.
	A series of regional seminars and a national GoldStar conference have already enabled more than 600 volunteer managers and approximately 300 organisations to share experiences of how best to recruit, manage and retain volunteers from groups at risk of exclusion.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Atos Origin

Keith Vaz: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what services the new Atos Origin managed network service will provide to her Department; what the cost of the service is; and if she will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: Atos Origin will provide the DCA with a fully managed IT infrastructure service. This will include providing data communications links, providing staff and judicial office holders with desktop services, and the management and maintenance of the network and the data centres which support it.
	The contract with Atos Origin is for seven years and is worth around 350 million.

Consultancy Contracts

Keith Vaz: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs which of those departmental consultancy contracts referred to in her answer of 6 November 2006,  Official Report, column 850W, were approved by  (a) the Lord Chancellor and  (b) the permanent secretary.

Vera Baird: Authority for expenditure on consultancy requirements is delegated to business managers. Those managers are required to adhere to approval procedures, depending on the contract value, under which high-value assignments require the authority of the responsible departmental management board member before any expenditure or contract is committed. Occasionally requirements may be referred to the whole of the board for approval.
	The following consultancy assignments received approval from either the second permanent secretary or the whole board, of which both permanent secretaries are members:
	Deloitte MCS Ltd.
	PA Consulting
	KPMG
	None of the expenditure was approved by the Lord Chancellor.

Departmental Staff

Vincent Cable: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many staff were employed on a consultancy basis in  (a) her Department and  (b) each of its agencies in each of the last five years for which information is available; and what the (i) average and (ii) longest period was for which a consultant was employed in each year.

Vera Baird: My Department uses external consultants on specific, time-limited tasks and engages them to provide a service, rather than individual members of their organisation's personnel. We do not collect information on the number of individuals used by an organisation to carry out a particular assignment. However I am able to provide the number of consultancy assignments for the Department and HMCS (formerly the Court Service) in each of the last five years:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2001-02 97 
			 2002-03 107 
			 2003-04 97 
			 2004-05 108 
			 2005-06 194 
		
	
	Information on the length of assignments is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Staff

Vincent Cable: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many value for money exercises on the use of  (a) management consultants and  (b) professional advisers were conducted by her Department in each of the last five years for which information is available; and if she will make a statement.

Vera Baird: Individual business managers are responsible for identifying the need to engage consultants or professional advisers and for managing their performance against contract objectives. They are therefore also responsible for ensuring that such contracts deliver value for money, and consequently central exercises to determine this are not carried out.

Departmental Staff

Vincent Cable: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what her Department's annual budget is for employing workers on a consultancy basis; and how much of this budget was used in each of the last five years for which records are available.

Vera Baird: My Department does not set aside money specifically for consultancy. Generally, individual business managers commission such assignments as part of a project when the need arises. They are funded from the overall project budget.

Dispersal Orders

Bob Spink: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many appeals against dispersal orders there have been in each year since their introduction.

Tony McNulty: I have been asked to reply.
	Section 30 of the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 allows a police officer of or above the rank of superintendent to give an authorisation, provided certain conditions are met, for dispersal powers to be used. This authorisation is sometimes known as a dispersal order. There is no appeal against an authorisation. If someone is prosecuted for failure to comply with a direction they will have the opportunity to challenge whether an authorisation was properly made in the course of their defence.

Freedom of Information

Dai Davies: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs on how many occasions her Department has released information under a Freedom of Information request that was previously withheld when sought by parliamentary question for written answer.

Vera Baird: The information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Legal Aid

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs 
	(1)  when the results of the consultation entitled Legal Aid: a sustainable future will be published;
	(2)  when she expects to announce her proposals on family and civil legal aid.

Vera Baird: I refer the hon. Gentleman to my written statement on 28 November 2006,  Official Report, columns 87-88WS. My Department also laid Command Paper 6993 Legal Aid Reform: the way Ahead a copy of which can be found on the DCA website at http://www.dca.gov.uk/laid/laidfr.htm#lar

Magistrates

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the effect will be of the new anti-age discrimination legislation on the 70 years of age limit on serving magistrates.

Harriet Harman: There are no plans to change the retirement age for magistrates. The new age regulations provide that discrimination will not be unlawful if it is undertaken in order to comply with a requirement of any statutory provision. The retirement age for magistrates is set at 70 by sections 12(2) and 13(1) of the Courts Act 2003.

Magistrates

David Drew: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many magistrates are aged  (a) 20 to 30,  (b) 30 to 39,  (c) 40 to 49,  (d) 50 to 59 and  (e) 60 to 69 years.

Harriet Harman: Magistrates age statistics are collected for age bands under 40, 40-49, 50-59, and 60-69.
	At the year end 31 March 2006 there were:
	1,172 magistrates aged under 40
	4,635 magistrates aged 40-49
	11,902 magistrates aged 50-59
	11,156 magistrates aged 60-69

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Departmental Contracts

Anne Milton: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much his Office has paid to DHL since its establishment.

John Prescott: Nothing.

Departmental Gifts

Oliver Heald: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the average cost was of gifts given to overseas dignitaries at public cost by him in each of the last five years; and what the cost was of  (a) the most expensive and  (b) the least expensive gift given.

John Prescott: The answer is the same as the one I gave to previous questions on this issue, to the hon. Members for Southend, West (Mr. Amess) and for East Worthing and Shoreham (Tim Loughton) on 30 October 2006,  Official Report, column 82W.

Departmental Staff

Oliver Heald: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether his Department has an incentive or bonus remuneration scheme for staff.

John Prescott: The staff in my Office are seconded from the Department for Communities and Local Government. I therefore refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (Angela E. Smith), on 23 November 2006,  Official Report, column 212W.

Departmental Website

Anne Main: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much the www.dpm.gov.uk website has cost since its creation.

John Prescott: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office and for Social Exclusion on 23 October 2006,  Official Report, column 1624W.

Ministerial Visits

Oliver Heald: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the total cost to public funds, including paying for the expenses of his staff, was of his visit to the MIPIM Property Development Conference in Cannes in 2005.

John Prescott: The answer is the same as the one I gave to a previous similar question from the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) on 9 October 2006,  Official Report, column 73W.

Slave Trade Abolition

Oliver Heald: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many meetings of the Advisory Group on the Bicentenary of the Abolition of the Slave Trade in the British empire there have been; if he will publish the minutes of those meetings; and how many enquiries he has  (a) received and  (b) responded to on the work of the group.

John Prescott: To date the full Advisory Group has met four times; 19 January; 20 April; 13 July and 17 October. Details of the Advisory Group membership can be found on the DPM website at: www.dpm.gov.uk. I receive correspondence on a wide variety of issues and, in accordance with established practice, respond to some letters myself while others are replied to by officials. The minutes of the Advisory Group will shortly be placed on the website and made available in the Library of the House for the reference of Members.

PRIME MINISTER

Baker Commission

Harry Cohen: To ask the Prime Minister if he will place a copy of the transcript of his evidence to the Baker Commission in the Library; and if he will make a statement.

Keith Simpson: To ask the Prime Minister if he will place in the Library a copy of the transcript of his evidence to the Iraq Study Group.

Tony Blair: I refer my hon. Friend and the hon. Member to the press briefing given by my official spokesman on 14 November 2006. A transcript of this is available on the No. 10 website (http://pm.gov.uk/output/Page10421.asp) and a copy has been placed in the Library of the House.

Downing Street Payroll

Oliver Heald: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  what the annual cost was of the No. 10 Downing street staff payroll as of 1 April;
	(2)  how many staff were employed  (a) full-time and  (b) part-time by his Office (i) to work on press and media and (ii) to provide information and publicity in the 2005-06 financial year; and what assumption is made about these figures in his Office's budget for 2006-07;
	(3)  what the total staff costs of the Downing street Press Office were in 2005-06;
	(4)  what the total staff costs of his Office were in 2005-06.

Roger Williams: To ask the Prime Minister how many marketing officers, communications officers, press officers and promotional officers are employed in his Office; and what the total expenditure on communications for his Office is in 2006-07, broken down by  (a) Government Information and Communication Service staff and  (b) other staff, broken down by (i) press officers, (ii) special advisers and (iii) others.

Tony Blair: The total staff costs for my Office for the financial year 2005-06 were 11.8 million. Figures for the financial year 2006-07 are not yet available.
	At 1 April 2006 five members of the Government Information and Communications Service and one secondee from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office were working as Press Officers. A further 12 civil servants either worked in the Strategic Communications Unit or provided administrative support. For details of special advisers who work in my Office I refer the hon. Members to the written ministerial statement I made on 24 July 2006,  Official Report, column 86-90WS.
	The total cost of running the No. 10 press office for the financial year 2005-06 was 1.6 million.

Ecclesiastical Appointments

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Prime Minister what the average length of interregnum was between the departure and new appointment of  (a) bishops and  (b) cathedral deans whose appointments lay within his responsibility in each of the last five years; what assessment he has made of the effect of such interregnums on the ministry of the church in each of the last five years; what savings in salaries and stipends were made during interregnums; and if he will make a statement.

Tony Blair: The information requested is not held centrally.

Gender Equality

John Bercow: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  when he expects to publish his Office's gender equality scheme;
	(2)  what steps he is taking to ensure that his Office is taking steps to meet the requirements of the forthcoming duty on public bodies  (a) to end unlawful discrimination and harassment and  (b) to promote equality between women and men.

Tony Blair: For these purposes my Office forms part of the Cabinet Office. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office (Mr. McFadden) today.

Gender Equality

John Bercow: To ask the Prime Minister what steps he is taking to ensure that private organisations contracted to work in his Office are aware of their duties under gender equality legislation when they are exercising public functions on behalf of public bodies.

Tony Blair: For these purposes my Office forms part of the Cabinet Office. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office (Mr. McFadden) on 28 November 2006,  Official Report, columns 594-5W.

Pakistan

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Prime Minister what the dates were of his recent visit to Pakistan; what his itinerary was; which Pakistani Government Ministers he met; and which other meetings he held during the visit.

Tony Blair: I visited Pakistan between 18-19 November 2006 to have talks with President Musharraf, Prime Minister Aziz and other senior Ministers and officials. I also held an informal dialogue with moderate Muslim scholars at Faisal Mosque.
	I also refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Cotswold (Mr. Clifton-Brown) on 27 November 2006,  Official Report, column 329W.

Parliamentary Questions

Oliver Heald: To ask the Prime Minister whether his Office uses an internal traffic light or colour-coded system to prioritise answers to written parliamentary questions.

Tony Blair: No.

Press and Media

Oliver Heald: To ask the Prime Minister what No. 10 Downing street's budget for consultants to assist with information, publicity, press and media  (a) is in 2006-07 and  (b) was in 2005-06.

Tony Blair: For these purposes my Office forms part of the Cabinet Office. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office (Mr. McFadden) on 29 November 2006,  Official Report, columns 767-68W.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Airport Security

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions there were in 2005 as a result of incidents related to security breaches airside at  (a) Heathrow,  (b) Gatwick,  (c) other airports serving London and  (d) other airports; and how many such incidents there have been in 2006.

Tony McNulty: Information on the number of prosecutions for incidents relating to security breaches in England and Wales is not held centrally.
	Information for Scotland is a matter for the Scottish Office and that for Northern Ireland for the Northern Ireland Office.

Asylum Seekers

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many failed asylum seekers had been receiving section 4 support for more than 12 months on 30 September.

Liam Byrne: This information is not available and could be produced only at disproportionate cost.

Asylum Seekers

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost of section 4 support for failed asylum seekers was in 2005-06; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: Expenditure on section 4 support in 2005-06 was 58.6 million (subject to audit).

ATMs

Linda Riordan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what initiatives are being undertaken jointly with the banking industry on crime prevention in relation to the use of ATMs.

Vernon Coaker: Home Office officials sit on the ATM Crime Group hosted by APACS (The Association of Payment Clearing Services). At this quarterly forum joint initiatives with members of the banking industry on crime prevention in relation to the use of ATMs are discussed.
	Studies suggest that creating a one metre User Zone around an ATM provides a valuable tool in deterring robbery and helps to protect users. We are planning to re-issue joint guidance alongside APACS and the Local Government Association in the new year that encourages and jointly funds ATM User Zones or Defensible Spaces in street crime hotspots across England and Wales.

Child Abuse

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to find child abusers who have access to children through  (a) education and  (b) the church; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 27 November 2006
	The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 provides the legislative framework for the introduction of a new vetting and barring scheme for those working with children and vulnerable adults.
	This scheme will bar individuals from working in situations where evidence suggests that they present a risk of harm to children or vulnerable adults. It replaces the current barring schemes, List 99 and the Protection of Children Act list, and the Disqualification Order regime, with a single list of people barred from working with children. The new scheme will ensure that all those who wish to work closely with children will be centrally vetted first. The scheme is due to be implemented from autumn 2008 onwards.
	There is also a proposal to establish national protocols, following consultation, programmed for early 2007, for the way the Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) works with church organisations. This revised policy will be reflected in the revised National MAPPA Guidance issued in April 2007.

Child Abuse

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what legislation governs the making and distribution of pornographic text describing the abuse of children; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: The Obscene Publication Acts 1959 and 1964 cover the publication, supply and possession for gain of material which, in the view of the court, has a tendency to deprave and corrupt those likely to read, see or hear it. This includes pornographic text describing the abuse of children where it meets this test. The maximum penalty under the Act (as amended) is three years' imprisonment.
	In some circumstances, the distribution of such text may be covered by the law on incitement.

Child Abuse

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what legislation governs the making and distribution of indecent images, which are not photographs, of children; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: Section 84 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 updated the controls on the taking, making, distribution and possession of indecent photographs of children, set out in the Protection of Children Act 1978 and the Criminal Justice Act 1988, to include pseudo photographs of children. A pseudo photograph is an image, whether made by computer graphics or in any other way, which appears to be an indecent photograph of a child under 18. The maximum penalty for production and distribution of this material is 10 years and for possession five years' imprisonment.
	The Obscene Publication Acts 1959 and 1964 cover the publication, supply and possession for gain of material, which, in the view of the court, has a tendency to deprave and corrupt those likely to read, see or hear it. This includes images of child abuse which do not meet the definition of a pseudo photograph, that is they do not appear to be a photograph of a child, if they meet this test. The maximum penalty for offences under the Act (as amended) is three years imprisonment.

Departmental Accommodation

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what  (a) the annual cost of maintenance is and  (b) the total value is of (i) the First, Second and Third Floors, 24 Greenwich High Road and (ii) Burghley Hall, 809-813 High Road, London E11.

Tony McNulty: The Home Office has no interest in 24 Greenwich High Road. The cost of maintenance of Burghley Hall, 809-813 High Road in financial year 2005-06 was 8435. It is leased and has no capital value.

Departmental Computers

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many computers have been stolen from his Department in the last nine years; and what their total value was.

Liam Byrne: Current records only date back to 2001, and since then the number of recorded computer thefts have been:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2001 14 
			 2002 19 
			 2003 59 
			 2004 140 
			 2005 95 
			 2006 (1) 
			 (1 )No information currently available. 
		
	
	The nature of our supply contracts are such that the Home Office buy a managed service from its third party IT suppliers and so a specific cost cannot be attributed to specific items.
	We do record all items reported as stolen and appropriate action is taken by internal departments. However, the central record comprises all items, not just computer equipment, so extracting and summarising this information for the whole Department could be achieved only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Energy

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much energy consumed by his Department is acquired from renewable sources.

Liam Byrne: In 2004-05, the latest year for which figures have been published, the Home Office (including publicly operated prisons) acquired 62,505,257 kWh from renewable sources.

Departmental Staff

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of staff employed in the top five grades of his Department have  (a) a graduate qualification in IT and  (b) previous employment as an IT specialist.

Liam Byrne: The Home Office does not routinely collect the information sought and to do so specifically would incur disproportionate costs.

Disabled Staff

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what percentage of staff employed in his Department were registered disabled in each year since 2001.

Liam Byrne: The following table shows figures for disabled people employed in the Home Department for the years 2001 to 2006. Figures for 2001 to 2004 are taken from the Cabinet Office Mandate return for April in each of the years between 2001 and 2004 (see table).
	
		
			  Numbers of disabled people employed in Home Office 2001-06 
			   Home office main (inc IND)  UK Passport Service  HM Prison Service 
			   Disabled staff  Percentage  of staff  Disabled staff  Percentage  of staff  Disabled staff  Percentage  of staff 
			 2001 340 2.5 70 2.9 310 0.7 
			 2002 370 2.6 150 5.0 480 1.1 
			 2003 420 2.5 130 4.5 470 1.1 
			 2004 460 2.4 130 4.9 500 1.1 
			 2005 555 2.6 173 5.27 1,537 3.1 
			 2006 488 2.3 177 4.86 1,635 3.3

Drugs

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average London street price of  (a) herbal cannabis,  (b) skunk,  (c) cocaine,  (d) crack,  (e) heroin and  (f) ecstasy was in each year since 1997.

Vernon Coaker: I understand from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis that not all the information is available. The available information is shown in the following table.
	
		
			   
			   Per ounce  Per gram  
			   Cannabis herbal  Cannabis resin  Cocaine   Crack  Heroin  Ecstasy (per tablet) 
			 1997 n/a n/a 44 129 118 n/a 
			 1998 n/a n/a 123 98 83 n/a 
			 1999 n/a n/a 111 137 78 n/a 
			 2000 n/a n/a 73 83 81 n/a 
			 2001 n/a n/a 93 102 148 n/a 
			 2002 n/a n/a 63 93 88 n/a 
			 2003 n/a n/a n/a 78 71 n/a 
			 2004 n/a n/a 54 69 51 n/a 
			 2005 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 2006 60 100 60 60 60 3

Gender Equality

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to ensure that private organisations contracted to work  (a) in his Department and  (b) for non-departmental public bodies and executive agencies for which his Department is responsible are aware of their duties under gender equality legislation when exercising public functions on behalf of public bodies.

Liam Byrne: The Department currently ensures that private sector contractors are aware of the discrimination provisions in the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 by incorporating an Unlawful Discrimination Clause into our services contracts as follows:
	 Unlawful discrimination
	The Contractor shall not unlawfully discriminate in relation to the performance of the Services within the meaning of the Race Relations Act 1976 and the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000, the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 or the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and/or any other anti-discrimination legislation from time to time in force. The Contractor shall take all reasonable steps to secure the observance of these provisions by all sub-contractors or agents used in the provision of the Services.
	From 6 April 2007, private sector organisations, when carrying out functions of a public nature on behalf of public authorities, will be required to comply with the general gender equality duty which is to have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination and harassment and promote equality of opportunity between women and men.
	OGC advice is that every procurement will need to be considered and that the gender equality duty should apply where it is relevant to the subject of the contract.
	The Commercial Directorate will issue a policy note to the Department's devolved procurement units, executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies informing them about the gender equality legislation and the steps they need to take to ensure that private organisations are aware of their duties under this legislation.
	We will also refer to the Equal Opportunities Commission's (EOC) Code of Practice of the Gender Equality Duty and any further EOC guidance when available.

Heroin

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the percentage of heroin trafficked into the United Kingdom in 2005-06 which came through Scotland.

Vernon Coaker: We estimate that the amount of heroin which enters the UK annually is broadly in the region of 20 tonnes. The bulk is believed to enter through the English channel ports and is subsequently distributed to all parts of the UK, including Scotland. Some heroin is imported directly into Scotland but it is not possible to say what proportion this is of the whole.

Illegal Migrant Population

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures he has taken to estimate the illegal migrant population residing in the UK.

Liam Byrne: No Government of the UK have been able to say with accuracy how many illegal immigrants are present in the country, because there is currently no means of counting those who leave the country on their own accord without informing the immigration authorities.
	The IND Review published on 25 July contains new strategic objectives and plans to tackle identifying individuals who have been refused asylum and not deported.
	A full copy of the report can be found at
	http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/aboutus/reports/indreview

Immigration Detention Centres

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many former prisoners who had completed their sentences were held in immigration detention centres on 30 September.

Liam Byrne: Local management records indicate there were 777 male and 29 female former prisoners who had completed their sentence and were held in immigration removal centres on 30 September

IPCC

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the terms and conditions are for Commissioners of the Independent Police Complaints Commission; how their performance is monitored; and what the process is for the reappointment of Commissioners.

Tony McNulty: The terms and conditions for Commissioners of the IPCC are based upon guidelines given by the Office of the Commission for Public Appointments. They are adapted to the circumstances of each individual Commissioner and cover period of appointment, pay and attendance, place of work, pension arrangements, car policy, relocation, expenses, gifts and hospitality, probity, conflicts of interest and notice period.
	The performance of Commissioners is monitored by means of annual performance appraisal. For Commissioners, including the Deputy Chair, the appraisals are conducted by the Chair of the IPCC. The Chair's appraisal is carried out by Director of the Policing Policy and Operations Directorate at the Home Office.

Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what checks are in place in relation to fundraising charities associated with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in the UK.

Tony McNulty: The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam (LTTE) were proscribed under Section 3 of the Terrorism Act 2000 in March 2001. It is an offence to be a member of the LTTE, or provide or show support for it.
	It is also an offence to provide or receive money or other property with the intention that it should be used for the purposes of terrorism. Fundraising for LTTE is therefore unlawful, and there are powers in place through the Terrorism Act 2000 to allow for the seizure and detention, and the forfeiture of money or property intended to be used for the purposes of terrorism.

Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will ban fundraising networks in the United Kingdom which are associated with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.

Tony McNulty: The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam (LTTE) were proscribed under Section 3 of the Terrorism Act 2000 in March 2001. LTTE fundraising networks are therefore already banned in the UK.

London Transport Crime

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many crimes were committed on  (a) buses and  (b) trains in London in each of the last five years, broken down by type of crime.

Vernon Coaker: The information requested is not collected centrally in the recorded crime statistics.

National Offender Management Service

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which organisations supported the creation of the National Offender Management Service in the recent consultation.

Gerry Sutcliffe: There has been no recent consultation on the establishment of the National Offender Management Service which has been in place since June 2004. However, in October 2005 the Home Office published a consultation paper, Restructuring Probation to Reduce Re-offending, setting out proposals to enable providers from the private and voluntary sectors to work alongside the public sector in the delivery of probation services. 748 written responses were received. Respondents expressed a range of views on different aspects of the proposals.

Parenting Orders

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many parenting orders requiring parents to attend parenting classes have been made to residents of  (a) Hendon and  (b) Barnet in the last three years; how many parents in (i) Hendon and (ii) Barnet have attended parenting classes voluntarily in the same period; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Youth Justice Board (YJB) has, since 2000, collected the number of parenting orders reported to it by youth offending teams (YOTs) relating to youth offending, civil orders and non-attendance of children at school where the YOT has been involved and, since April 2004, parenting orders applied for by the YOT. These figures cover the YOT area. Barnet YOT covers the London borough of Barnet which includes Hendon.
	Parenting orders require the parent to attend a counselling or guidance programme specified by the responsible officer but the order need not include such a requirement where a parenting order has been made previously. Parenting orders recorded by Barnet YOT are shown in table A.
	Since September 2004, the Department for Education and Skills has collected data on the number of parenting orders in England relating to non-attendance of children at school and exclusion from school at local authority level. The latest available data covers the period to April 2006. The London borough of Barnet has reported no parenting orders in this period.
	Since April 2004 the YJB has collected data reported by Barnet YOT on the numbers of young people with a final warning or community disposal that have received a parenting intervention. More than one parent may receive a parenting intervention in respect of a young person but the total number of parents involved is not reported. The parenting intervention may involve a group programme or work with individual parents depending on the assessed need.
	Voluntary parenting interventions recorded by Barnet YOT are as follows:
	
		
			  Voluntary parenting interventions recorded by Barnet YOT 
			   Number 
			  April to March:  
			 2004-05 31 
			 2005-06 22 
		
	
	The London borough of Barnet has reported no parenting contracts to the DfES. However, parents who live within Barnet and whose children attend schools outside the borough could be subject to an education-related parenting order or contract which would appear on the data return for that local authority. Information on such cases is not collected centrally.
	Data are not held centrally on the number of parents in Barnet who have attended parenting classes voluntarily.
	
		
			  Table A: Parenting orders recorded by Barnet YOT 
			   Parenting orders relating to 
			   Youth offending, other civil orders, and since April 2004, applied for by the YOT  Non-attendance at school where the YOT has been involved 
			  April to March:   
			 2003-04 11 1 
			 2004-05 4 0 
			 2005-06 5 0

Parliamentary Draftsmen

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people in his Department are employed to draft legislation.

Liam Byrne: Primary legislation falling within the responsibility of the Home Office is drafted by parliamentary counsel on instructions from Home Office Legal Adviser's Branch.
	Secondary legislation falling within the responsibility of the Home Office is almost always drafted by a lawyer in Home Office Legal Adviser's Branch.
	However, no one is employed solely to draft legislation: that is a task that may fall to any member of the Branch, if there is a need for legislation in the area of legal work for which the lawyer concerned is responsible.

Paul Kagame

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if the UK will support the international arrest warrants served by France against Paul Kagame.

Tony McNulty: The UK has obligations under both international and domestic law to process extradition requests made by extradition partners. As a matter of policy, we do not confirm or deny the existence of any such request, until after the subject has been arrested.

Police

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies have produced on police officers commenting on (i) local elections and (ii) local party political issues.

Tony McNulty: No such guidance has been issued.

Police

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers there were in  (a) England and Wales,  (b) the North West,  (c) Greater Manchester and  (d) Manchester, Gorton constituency on (i) 2 May 1997 and (ii) the most recent date for which figures are available.

John Reid: The available data are given in the tables. Police strength is collated by financial year and figures are given as at the last day of the period (31 March). As the requested date falls between the periods for the 1996-97 (strength as at 31 March 1997) and 1997-98 (strength as at 31 March 1998) both have been provided. Data for police strength are not available by constituency, and so the nearest available data, that for South Manchester basic command unit, have been provided.
	
		
			  Police strength (FTE)( 1)  as at 31 March 1997, 1998 and 2006 
			   1997  1998  2006 
			 England and Wales 125,051 124,756 139,631 
			 North West Region 17,589 17,627 19,215 
			 Greater Manchester Police Force 6,922 6,949 7,959 
			 South Manchester Basic Command Unit(2) n/a n/a 441 
			 n/a = Not available. (1) FTE figures rounded to the nearest whole number. Excludes those on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave. (2) BCU data is not available prior to 2002-03. Includes those on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave.

Police

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many full-time equivalent  (a) police officers,  (b) community support officers and  (c) police civilian staff were employed by North Yorkshire Police in each year since 1992.

Tony McNulty: The available data are given in the following tables.
	
		
			  Total strength (FTE)( 1)  for police officers, police community support officers and police staff( 2)  in north Yorkshire1992 to 2006 
			  As at 31 March  Police officers  Police community support officers (PCSOs)( 3)  Police staff( 4) 
			 1992 1,398  445 
			 1993 1,393  453 
			 1994 1,318  438 
			 1995 1,300  508 
			 1996 1,324  520 
			 1997 1,338  519 
			 1998 1,367  543 
			 1999 1,337  541 
			 2000 1,283  492 
			 2001 1,305  591 
			 2002 1,417  743 
			 2003 1,444 0 723 
			 2004 1,529 52 864 
			 2005 1,543 75 930 
			 2006 1,636 71 1,030 
			 (1) Full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. Figures exclude those staff on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave unless otherwise stated. (2) Civilian Staff have been referred to as police staff since March 2003. Figures exclude traffic wardens, police community support officers and designated officers (s.38). (3) Figures for PCSOs have only been collected since 2003 and include those on career breaks and maternity/paternity leave. (4) Strength figures for civilian staff were collected by HMIC from 1992 until 1995. The Research Development and Statistics Section within the Home Office, has been collecting and publishing this data since March 1996

Prisons

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effect of long prison sentences on re-offending rates; on what evidence his assessment is based; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Re-offending rates by length of custodial sentence are published in  Re-offending of Adults: results from the 2003 cohort:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs06/hosb2006.pdf.
	The report shows that longer custodial sentences are associated with lower re-offending rates. However, the relationship between re-offending and sentence is complex and this does not, by itself, prove that longer custodial sentences cause lower re-offending rates. A research programme is currently being undertaken to understand this further.

Prisons

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of prisoners re-offended within two years of release in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The most recent re-offending rates for adults living in England and Wales were published in November 2006 as: Re-offending of Adults: results from the 2003 cohort. Home Office Statistical Bulletin 20/06. The report is available online at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs06/hosb2006.pdf
	The two-year re-offending rate for adults released from custody in 2003 can be found on pages 8-9 and table A5.
	The most recent re-offending rates for juveniles (those aged 10 to 17) living in England and Wales were published in June 2006 as: Re-offending of Juveniles: results from the 2004 cohort. Home Office Statistical Bulletin 10/06. The report is available online at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs06/hosb1006.pdf
	The one-year re-offending rate for juveniles released from custody in 2004 can be found on pages 8-9 and table A5.

Prisons

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many Category D prisoners over the age of 70 years are serving sentences in jails in England and Wales;
	(2)  how many Category D prisoners over the age of 70 are not considered for parole because of the severity of their original offence; for how long, on average, those prisoners have served; and what assessment has been made of the danger to the public of the release on licence of each prisoner.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Information on the numbers of Category D prisoners over the age of 70 serving sentences in England and Wales as recorded on the prison IT system is not available separately by age because the numbers are small and the accuracy at this level of detail cannot be guaranteed. Providing an accurate and comprehensive response in the form requested could only be achieved at disproportionate cost.
	All determinate sentence prisoners, regardless of their age and the security classification of the establishment in which they are detained, who are serving a sentence of four years or more and who are entitled to be released under the provisions of the Criminal Justice Act 1991, are eligible to apply for consideration for early release on parole once they reach the halfway point of their sentence. In deciding whether or not to grant parole, the Parole Board is required to consider the Secretary of State's directions that the board shall consider primarily the risk to the public of a further offence being committed at a time when the prisoner would otherwise be in prison and whether any such risk is acceptable. This must be balanced against the benefit, both to the public and the offender, of early release back into the community under a degree of supervision, which might help rehabilitation and so lessen the risk of re-offending in the future. The board however must take into account that safeguarding the public may often outweigh the benefits to the offender of early release.

Prisons

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of prisoners in Wales who may be entitled to compensation for having drug substitution treatment withdrawn on entry to prison.

Gerry Sutcliffe: To obtain these details would require an analysis of the medical records of each prisoner held in a prison in Wales over the last six years. This would involve disproportionate costs.

Road Accident Victims

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his Department will continue to fund the support pack for victims of road accidents provided by Brakecare; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Government are funding the Brakecare guide for bereaved families and friends in 2006 and are actively considering possible future funding routes, including the Victim's Fund.

Road Safety

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many motorists were  (a) disqualified from driving and  (b)(i) caught and (ii) prosecuted for driving while disqualified (A) in total, (B) in each region and (C) in each police force area in each year since 1997.

Vernon Coaker: Decisions as to the charging and prosecution of those detected apparently driving whilst disqualified are matters for the police and the Crown Prosecution Service and data are not recorded centrally.
	Available information taken from the Court Proceedings Database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform, is provided in the tables from 1997-2004 (latest available), which will be placed in the House Libraries.
	2005 data will be available in 2007.

State Opening

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals were  (a) detained and  (b) arrested in the area of Westminster during the state opening of Parliament on 15 November 2006.

Tony McNulty: The chief constable is responsible for the day to day operational management of the force.

Stop and Search

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his Department has finalised the guidance on the use of stop and search under the Terrorism Act 2000.

Tony McNulty: National guidance for police on the use of stop and search under the Terrorism Act 2000 was published in July 2006 as part of the wider CENTREX Stop and Search Practice Advice. It is available publicly on the Association of Chief Police Officers' website.

Terrorism

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people there are in the National Terrorist Financial Investigation Unit.

Tony McNulty: For reasons of national security, the Home Office does not comment on the operational capacity of units involved in counter-terrorism.

Terrorism

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he has taken to protect the charitable sector from terrorist abuse.

Tony McNulty: A review into terrorist financing in the charitable sector is in the process of being finalised by Home Office, HM Treasury, Cabinet Office and Charities Commission officials. This is expected to identify areas of good practice and where there are gaps. We will conduct a full consultation exercise with the charitable sector and other interested parties in the new year.

Unpaid Work Requirements

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many convicted criminals whose unpaid work requirements were completed early after good progress between  (a) April 2006 and June 2006 and  (b) April 2005 and March 2006 have subsequently (i) broken the terms of their licence and (ii) been charged with a crime;
	(2)  if he will list the crimes of those convicted criminals whose unpaid work requirements were completed early after good progress between  (a) April 2005 and March 2006 and  (b) April 2006 and June 2006.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The specific information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

HEALTH

Adult Social Care

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if she will set a new health care standard in the national minimum standards for adult social care to ensure that care home residents receive adequate access to fresh drinking water; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  if she will make representations to the Food Standards Agency to redraft its nutritional guidance for institutions providing residential care to older people so that it explicitly addresses the provision of fresh drinking water on demand.

Ivan Lewis: Regulation 16 of the care homes regulations requires care homes to provide, in adequate quantities, suitable, wholesome and nutritious food which is varied and properly prepared and available at such time as may reasonably be required by service users. Food, in the regulations, includes drink.
	Standard 15 of the national minimum standards (NMS) for care homes for older people includes the requirements that:
	service users receive a varied, appealing, wholesome and nutritious diet, which is suited to individual assessed and recorded requirements, and that meals are taken in a congenial setting and at flexible times; and
	hot and cold drinks and snacks are available at all times and offered regularly.
	The review of the NMS, which the Commission for Social Care Inspection must take into account when inspecting care homes, is ongoing and will be subject to public consultation in due course. The issue of the availability of drinking water to residents is being considered as part of the review.
	The Food Standards Agency (FSA) published nutrient and food-based advice for those providing food in care homes on 19 October 2006. This advice includes example menus, which include making water available at all eating occasions. Government advice is that we need to drink six to eight glasses of fluid every day. It is therefore implicit that care homes should be making water freely available throughout the day.
	The nutrient and food-based guidance for those providing residential care for older people is the first part in a series of guidance documents for United Kingdom institutions. The FSA expects to produce guidance for other institutions, including the NHS and prisons, in early 2007.

Breast Treatment

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress is being made towards achieving the Government's commitment for all people with breast problems to be seen by a specialist within two weeks; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The Government set out their commitment to go further on cancer waits in their 2005 election manifesto. We have already started to consider areas where we might go further on cancer waits and are seeking views from a range of stakeholders on a number of options, including the option of seeing all patients with breast symptoms within two weeks.
	My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health announced today that she would ask the National Clinical Director for Cancer, Professor Mike Richards, to develop a cancer reform strategy for the next five to 10 years. Proposals for going further on cancer waits will be considered as part of this overall cancer reform strategy.

Carbon Monoxide

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many deaths were caused by carbon monoxide poisoning in the last 10 years.

Caroline Flint: The number of deaths from carbon monoxide poisoning in England and Wales has steadily declined over the last 10 years from 1,016 in 1996 to 257 in 2005. A breakdown of the figures is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Deaths due to carbon monoxide poisoning( 1) , England and Wales, 1996-2005( 2) 
			   Number of deaths 
			 1996 1,016 
			 1997 840 
			 1998 724 
			 1999 666 
			 2000 521 
			 2001 480 
			 2002 418 
			 2003 416 
			 2004 297 
			 2005 257 
			 (1 )The cause of death was defined using the International Classification Ninth Revision (ICD-9) code 986 for the yeas 1996 to 2000, and the Tenth Revision (ICD-10) code T58 from 2001 onwards. (2) Deaths occurring in each calendar year.  Source: Office for National Statistics

Carbon Monoxide

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps her Department is taking  (a) to prevent deaths caused by carbon monoxide poisoning and  (b) to raise awareness of the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Caroline Flint: The Department is committed to help prevent deaths caused by carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning and raise awareness of the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning. Specific recent actions to achieve this include publications to increase awareness of medical staff and the public:
	 CMO Update January 2006Carbon monoxide poisoning
	This provides advice to doctors on CO poisoning. CMO Update is sent to all doctors registered with the GMC in England including hospital and A and E doctors. The Update is copied to the devolved administrations for information. CMO Updates are available on the Department's website:
	www.dh.gov.uk/PublicationsAndStatistics/LettersAndCirculars/CMOUpdate/CMOUpdateArticle/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=4126235chk=y6qnQn
	 Indoor Air Pollution Carbon Monoxide. Risks to health and how to avoid them (2006).
	This public information leaflet, distributed in early 2006 to all GP surgeries in England, provides information on the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning, ways in which to prevent poisoning and the contact details of organizations and other Departments involved with the prevention of carbon monoxide poisoning.
	The Health and Safety Executive, Heating Equipment Testing and Approval scheme, Council for Registered Gas Installers, CO-Gas Safety, Solid Fuel Association, and the NHS all endorsed the leaflet. The CORGI emergency helpline is included in the leaflet. Leaflets are available free, from the Department's stores and is available on the Department's website:
	www.dh.gov.uk/PublicationsAndStatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidanceArticle/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=4123787chk=sAoYSP
	 Keep Warm Keep Well, a winter guide 2006-07
	This booklet is produced by the Department and is being widely distributed and is available from publications stores. It contains useful advice on the maintenance of heating appliances and protection against carbon monoxide poisoning.
	Booklets are available free from the Department's stores and are available on the Department's website:
	www.dh.gov.uk/socialcare.

Health Care Expenditure

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much per capita was spent on health services in  (a) Hartlepool constituency and  (b) England in each of the last 10 years.

Andy Burnham: National health service expenditure per head for England is shown in the table. Figures are not available for expenditure per head for Hartlepool constituency but expenditure accounted for by the Hartlepool Primary Care Trust has been provided for the five years it has been in existence.
	
		
			   per head 
			   Hartlepool  England 
			 1996-97 n/a 627.19 
			 1997-98 n/a 703.36 
			 1998-99 n/a 741.84 
			 1999-2000 n/a 810.82 
			 2000-01 n/a 883.51 
			 2001-02 789.36 976.89 
			 2002-03 1,039.08 1,073.22 
			 2003-04 1,141.79 1,305.17 
			 2004-05 1,251.89 1,384.72 
			 2005-06 1,455.61 1,548.84 
			  Note: Expenditure shown for Hartlepool Primary Care Trust does not include all NHS expenditure within the constituency. Expenditure on general dental services and pharmaceutical services accounted for by the Dental Practice Board and Prescription Pricing Authority, respectively, are excluded from the primary care trust figures. This expenditure cannot be included within the figures for the individual health bodies as they are not included in commissioner accounts. Figures for Hartlepool and England are not therefore directly comparable. Expenditure by NHS trusts is not included as the majority of this would result in double counting within the constituency. An element of strategic health authority expenditure is also omitted as it cannot be accurately allocated to the constituency or primary care trust area.  Sources: 1. Audited summarisation schedules of Hartlepool Primary Care Trust. 2. Net NHS England expenditure figures. 3. Office for National Statistics unweighted population figures.

Health Centres

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance she gives to  (a) health trusts and  (b) social services departments in respect of health centres which provide (i) long-stay and (ii) respite care for (A) adult and (B) child patients with complex needs.

Ivan Lewis: No guidance has been issued.

Health Professionals

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) headcount and  (b) full-time equivalent (i) doctors, (ii) nurses and (iii) other health professionals were employed by independent sector providers in relation to centrally procured healthcare services for NHS patients in each year since 2004-05.

Ivan Lewis: The information requested is shown in the table:
	
		
			   Whole time equivalent  Headcount 
			  2004-05   
			 Doctors 14.8 17 
			 Nurses 28.0 28 
			 Allied health professionals 0.00 0 
			
			  2005-06   
			 Doctors 110.0 240 
			 Nurses 367.5 433 
			 Allied health professionals 46.6 53 
			
			  2006 to date   
			 Doctors 177.6 382 
			 Nurses 554.4 672 
			 Allied health professionals 78.6 83 
			  Notes: Figures are shown for those employed by independent sector providers in relation to independent sector treatment centres, walk- in centres with a commuter focus and the mobile ophthalmology services. The figures do not include the centrally procured general supplementary contracts, the mobile MRI service or the chlamydia screening service.

Health Visitors

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to ensure that health visitors are fully involved in the Government's plans to teach parenting skills.

Andy Burnham: We are involving health visitors in a range of parenting initiatives. The social exclusion action plan health-led parenting project will test an intensive model of parenting support for at-risk families and will be delivered by health visitors and midwives. Health visitors are being encouraged to contribute to Sure Start children's centres and we have set up a working group to review the future role of health visitors that will include looking at their important contribution to parenting.

Hospital Marketing Code

Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what consultations have taken place with non-departmental bodies on the introduction of the hospitals marketing code;
	(2)  if she will introduce financial limits on costs arising from hospitals' advertising subsequent to the introduction of the hospitals marketing code.

Caroline Flint: In the Operating Framework for 2006-07 the Department set out its expectation that providers would not want to spend excessively on advertising and marketing.
	The Department published a draft Code of Practice for promotion of NHS Services for consultation on 27 November 2007, copies are available in the Library. The consultation will run until 28 February 2007 and we would welcome views from all those with an interest.

Hospital-Acquired Infections

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the estimated cost to the NHS was of hospital-acquired infections in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: A study by the Public Health Laboratory Service in 1999 estimated that hospital-acquired infections cost the national health service 1 billion a year. Further data are not available.
	 Source:
	R. Plowman, N. Graves, M. Griffin, J. A. Roberts, A. V. Swan, B. Cookson, L. Taylor. The socio-economic burden of hospital acquired infection. Public Health Laboratory Service 1999.

Hospital-Acquired Infections

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS trusts she expects to halve their infection rates of methicillin-resistant  Staphylococcus aureus by 2008; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: We have set a target of halving the rates of methicillin-resistant  Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemias (bloodstream infections) by 2008. Acute trusts have agreed local targets to reduce the number of MRSA bacteraemias which, taken overall, are designed to deliver the target. They do not however, require all trusts to halve their rates of infection. For example, trusts with low numbers are required to maintain or further improve their rates.
	The Department is only half way through its three-year programme aimed at delivering the target. We expect every trust to plan to deliver the reduction required.

Infant Formula Milk

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 21 November 2006,  Official Report, column 75W, on infant formula milk, what powers she has to prevent  (a) the use of goats milk protein in infant formula milk and  (b) the sale of such products in England under (i) domestic and (ii) European legislation.

Caroline Flint: The European infant formula and follow-on formula legislation has been implemented in the United Kingdom by the infant formula and follow-on formula regulations 1995. Local authorities are responsible for the enforcement of the domestic regulations.

Infant Formula Milk

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the timetable is for ending the practice of using goats milk protein in infant formula milk.

Caroline Flint: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has advised that the sale of infant nutrition products based on goats milk protein is in breach of European Union and United Kingdom infant formula legislation. There is no timetable but FSA is working to promote full compliance with the legislation, acknowledging that in certain circumstances, it may take time for businesses to make the necessary arrangements to market their products in accordance with the legislation.

Infant Formula Milk

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many British-based companies include goats milk protein in the manufacture of  (a) infant formula and  (b) follow-on formula; how many infant nutritional products on the market include goats milk protein; and over what period of time such (i) companies and (ii) products have been including goats milk protein.

Caroline Flint: The Food Standards Agency is aware of one United Kingdom-based company that currently imports and markets a goats milk product labelled as suitable for infants. The company has marketed the product for infant nutrition purposes since the mid-1990s, but has agreed to reposition it as a foodstuff for general consumption. New product labelling will not make any claim that it is suitable for infant nutrition purposes.
	A second UK-based company imported and marketed a different goats milk product for infant nutrition purposes from 2004 until 2006. The company has repositioned the product as a foodstuff for general consumption. The labelling of the product no longer makes any claim that it is suitable for infant nutrition purposes.
	A UK-based internet retailer previously sold a third goats milk formula product, but stopped selling it in the UK in February this year.

Influenza Vaccine (Plymouth)

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health why GP surgeries in Plymouth will not receive their full orders of influenza vaccine until December.

Caroline Flint: General practitioners purchase their own supply of flu vaccine direct from the supplier of their choice. This year there are six suppliers of flu vaccine to the United Kingdom. The Department is not responsible for the supply of flu vaccine to individual general practitioners.

Lyme Disease

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of Lyme disease there have been in each strategic health authority area over the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: Data on cases of Lyme disease in each strategic health authority are not routinely available. Data for England and Wales over the past five years are available as follows:
	
		
			   Number of cases 
			 2001 268 
			 2002 340 
			 2003 292 
			 2004 500 
			 2005 595 
			  Source: Health Protection Agency http://www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/zoonoses/lyme_borreliosis/enhanced.htm

Lyme Disease

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what standard clinical practice is for diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: Internationally recognised criteria for the diagnosis of Lyme borreliosis are routinely used for diagnosis within the national health service through the Health Protection Agency's Lyme Borreliosis specialist diagnostic service. These are based upon stringent interpretation of serological tests for specific antibodies to the causative organism,  Borrelia burgdorferi, and are recommended in the United States of America, Europe and the United Kingdom and are as follows:
	Serum samples for the detection of antibodies to  B. burgdorferi should be analysed by a two-test procedure:
	a sensitive screening test, for example Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay (ELISA) or Immunofluorescence Assay (IFA). All samples judged to be reactive or equivocal in the screening test should then be confirmed by
	a Western blot for antibodies to specific  B. burgdorferi antigens. The Western blot should only be used in succession with an ELISA or IFA test. Detailed interpretive criteria for Western blots differ between Europe and the USA, to take into account differences in the geographic distribution of the infecting genospecies.
	Treatment is with antibiotics, usually doxycycline or amoxicillin. Early treatment usually clears the rash within several days and helps to prevent the development of complications.
	More serious symptoms also respond to antibiotic treatment, but the symptoms may be slower to resolve because damaged tissue takes time to heal. Nervous system symptoms such as meningitis or nerve inflammation usually require treatment with intravenous antibiotics. Detailed studies have shown excellent long-term outcomes for most people who receive appropriate treatment.

Maternity Care

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  which hospitals have lost neonatal intensive care cots due to the impact of NHS trust deficits;
	(2)  how many neonatal intensive care cots were available in each of the last five years;
	(3)  how many babies born in England in each of the last five years required neonatal care.

Ivan Lewis: Information on hospitals that have closed neonatal intensive care cots due to the impact of national health service trust deficits is not collected centrally.
	Information on the number of neonatal intensive care cots available in each of the last five years is set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Average daily number of available neonatal intensive care beds in England, 2001-02 to 2005-06 
			   Available beds 
			 2001-02 1,543 
			 2002-03 1,551 
			 2003-04 1,491 
			 2004-05 1,523 
			 2005-06 1,688 
			  Notes: 1. This is the average daily number of beds available in wards open overnight classified as intensive care: Neonates. 2. 'Intensive care: neonates' is actually the number of beds in wards classified as 'neonates: intensive care wards'. Therefore this may include beds that are not neonatal intensive care beds.  Source: Department of Health form KH03 
		
	
	Information on the number of babies born in England in each of the last five years that required neonatal care is not collected centrally.

Medical Error

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to minimise fatalities due to medical error in hospitals.

Andy Burnham: The Government are concerned about national health service patients affected by adverse events. It established the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) in July 2001 to develop and maintain a national reporting and learning system (NRLS) for patient safety incidents so that these incidents could be analysed and sources of risk identified and acted upon. This system is now in place across the NHS, all trusts have been connected and are reporting to the system from late 2005. Data collected by the agency are based on incidents reported by NHS staff.
	The NPSA is reviewing incidents resulting in death and is in discussion with key stakeholders to identify appropriate strategies to address the underlying risk in areas where there is the opportunity for a national patient safety solution.
	The agency has also issued 20 national patient safety solutions, of which seven have been patient safety alerts addressing high risk patient safety issues, these are:
	improving compliance with oral methotrexate;
	reducing the harm caused by misplaced naso and orgastric feeding tubes in babies under the care of neonatal units;
	correct site surgery;
	advice on reducing harm caused by the misplacement of nasogastric tubes;
	clean hands help to save lives;
	crash call number; and
	safe storage and handling of potassium chloride.
	The agency is evaluating the impacts of these in terms of reducing harm to patients. Two examples where there is information about the potential benefits are:
	clean your hands campaign99 per cent. of hospitals in England and 100 per cent. of hospitals in Wales have implemented this campaign. It is expected that at least 89 deaths per year will be averted, rising to 445 averted deaths per year after five years; and
	potassium chlorideit is estimated that one to two deaths every year are prevented.

Mental Health Services

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to increase the number of acute beds for mental health patients of  (a) working age and  (b) above working age in Gloucestershire.

Ivan Lewis: There are no plans by the Department to increase the number of acute mental health beds for people of working age and above working age in Gloucestershire. It is for local national health service primary care trusts in conjunction with their strategic health authorities to make an assessment of the local health service provision, including mental health services.

Migraine

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the number of  (a) adults and  (b) children who experience migraine attacks in England.

Ivan Lewis: We have made no estimates of the number of adults and children who have experienced migraine attacks.

Myasthenia Gravis

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the prevalence rate of myasthenia gravis is; what NHS funded  (a) treatment and  (b) research facilities there are for the condition; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The Myasthenia Gravis Association have estimated the prevalence for this condition at around one in 10,000 people in the United Kingdom.
	Patients with myasthenia gravis are able to access a range of national health service and social care services, tailored to meet their individual needs, to help them manage their condition. It is for primary care trusts, in consultation with other stakeholders, to determine which services, including those for people with myasthenia gravis, their local populations require and to ensure the appropriate provision of these services.
	The main agency through which the Government support medical and clinical research is the Medical Research Council (MRC). The MRC is an independent body funded by the Department of Trade and Industry via the Office of Science and Technology.
	Over 75 per cent. of the Department's total expenditure on health research is devolved to and managed by NHS organisations. Details of individual projects, including some concerned with myasthenia gravis, can be found on the national research register at www.dh.gov.uk/research

Neurology/Epilepsy

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which specialist epileptic care units in  (a) Greater London, broken down by London borough, and  (b) England require additional funding in order to comply with current Health and Safety standards.

Ivan Lewis: The information requested is not collected centrally.
	Trusts are responsible for compliance with health and safety standards, laws and regulations.

Neurology/Epilepsy

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what process children with epilepsy go through in order to obtain a statement of special educational needs; and how they are assessed.

Parmjit Dhanda: I have been asked to reply.
	Children with a medical condition like epilepsy would not be considered to have special educational needs (SEN) unless they also had a significant learning difficulty or their medical condition prevented or hindered them from making use of the educational facilities generally available in their areas for children of their age. If either or both of these reasons applied to a child with epilepsy and it was necessary to assess the child with a view to giving him or her an SEN statement then the child would be assessed and statemented in the same way as other children with SEN. This is provided for by the Education Act 1996 and associated Regulations and set out in the SEN Code of Practice. The assessment arrangements require the local authority to seek written advice from the parents, the school, educational psychologists, health and social services and any others the local authority thinks it is desirable to take advice from. The local authority decides whether to draw up a statement and the contents of any statement in light of this advice.

New Burton House

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has received regarding the possible closure of New Burton House in Stafford.

Caroline Flint: There have been no representations made on this issue, which is a local operational matter.

Next of Kin

Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many elderly people were unable to provide a next of kin whilst seeking medical treatment in each year since 2000; how many of these were consequently unable to obtain treatment; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: Information on the numbers of people who either could not, or chose not to, nominate someone as their next of kin does not exist. The national health service does not require any person to nominate someone as their next of kin as a condition for obtaining treatment.

NHS Compensation

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was paid by the NHS in compensation in each year since 1997, broken down by  (a) strategic health authority and  (b) primary care trust; and for what reasons compensation has been paid during that period.

Andy Burnham: Primary care trusts were first established in 2000-01 and strategic health authorities in 2002-03. Data is available from these years until 2005-06.
	The information has been placed in the Library.

NHS Foundation Trusts

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions she has had with Monitor on the number of compulsory redundancies made by NHS foundation trusts in the first six months of 2006-07.

Ivan Lewis: There have been no discussions with Monitor (the statutory name of which is the Independent Regulator of NHS Foundation Trusts) on this matter.

NHS Foundation Trusts

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether she plans to alter the role of Monitor in determining the borrowing powers of NHS foundation trusts.

Ivan Lewis: There are no plans to alter the role of Monitor (the statutory name of which is the Independent Regulator of NHS Foundation Trusts) in determining the borrowing powers of national health service foundation trusts. The powers of Monitor are set out in the Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Act 2003.

Rheumatoid Arthritis (Anti-TNF Drugs)

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the extent to which NHS patients have access to the new generation of anti-TNF drugs for rheumatoid arthritis.

Ivan Lewis: We have made no assessment of the extent to which national health service patients living with rheumatoid arthritis have access to anti-tumour necrosis factor (anti-TNF) drugs. All primary care trusts in England and Wales are obliged to fund, from general allocations, anti-TNF therapy for those patients with rheumatoid arthritis who meet the clinical guidelines issued by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.

Royal Free Hospital

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which services  (a) have been and  (b) will be transferred from Mount Vernon to Royal Free Hospital; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: Transfer of the plastic surgery service took place on 3 October 2006, when all elective adult and paediatric in-patient procedures were transferred to the Royal Free Hospital Trust in Hampstead.

Royal Free Hospital

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made on refurbishment of the Royal Free Hospital Trust buildings; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The refurbishment of trusts' estates are a matter for the local national health service.
	However, NHS London reports that the Royal Free Hospital Trust is about to conclude the third successful year of an eight year rolling programme of compliance refurbishment work. Work undertaken this year includes three major ward refurbishments and the creation of a purpose built new medical assessment unit. In February 2007 major refurbishment will continue, to include a further four wards.

Royal Free Hospital

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost has been of the Choose and Book system at the Royal Free Hospital since its introduction; how many additional staff have been employed to run the system; and what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the new system.

Ivan Lewis: This information is not held centrally.

Royal Shrewsbury Hospital

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the future of the accident and emergency department at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital.

Caroline Flint: The NHS West Midlands reports that there is ongoing consultation on local NHS acute services, which relates solely to paediatric and urology services. The local national health service has reasserted its views that the current consultant-led accident and emergency departments at both the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and the Princess Royal Hospital will be retained. This is in line with ministerial commitments given at the time of the merger in 2003.

Sleep Apnoea

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the number of people in  (a) England,  (b) Redbridge and  (c) Waltham Forest who have sleep apnoea; what treatment is available for sleep apnoea on the NHS; how many are estimated to suffer from it; where in East London the treatment is available; what policy local primary care trusts have for funding the relevant treatment; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: Data on the number of people with sleep apnoea are not available centrally but the British Snoring and Sleep Apnoea Association estimates that 4 per cent. of men and 2 per cent. of women are affected by the condition.
	Patients with sleep apnoea are able to access a range of national health service and social care services, tailored to meet their individual needs, to help them manage their condition. It is for health professionals in primary care organisations, in consultation with other stakeholders, to determine which services their populations require and ensure the appropriate level of provision. In terms of sleep disorders such as sleep apnoea, this would include, where appropriate, the provision of continuous positive airway pressure equipment as well as other treatments and interventions such as advice to promote weight loss. It is for health professionals to decide what treatment to offer patients, in consultation with the patient and informed by the patient's medical history.
	Information on specialist sleep apnoea services in East London is not available centrally.

Tranquilisers/Anti-depressants

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the spending per head on GP prescribed  (a) tranquilisers and  (b) anti-depressants in (i) England and (ii) each primary care trust area of England was in each of the last three years.

Andy Burnham: The net ingredient cost (NIC) per person for each of the last three years, for England, is shown in the table:
	
		
			   
			   Hypnotics and anxiolytics (tranquilisers)  Antidepressant drugs 
			 2003 0.74 7.77 
			 2004 0.73 7.89 
			 2005 0.75 6.66 
		
	
	Information on the NIC per person for each primary care trust has been placed in the Library.
	All data are taken from the prescribing and analysis cost tool (PACT) and use 2004 population estimates, base year 2001.

Tuberculosis

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many X-ray facilities for tuberculosis screening  (a) there are and  (b) are planned at ports and airports other than Heathrow and Gatwick.

Caroline Flint: In England, X-ray equipment for use in medical examination of people referred under immigration Acts is provided at Heathrow and Gatwick airports. There are X-ray units at Gatwick north terminal, and Heathrow terminals two, three and four. Operational decisions regarding X-ray facilities at ports of entry are the responsibility of the Health Protection Agency.

West Suffolk Hospital

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the estimated journey time is from West Suffolk Hospital to  (a) Ipswich Hospital,  (b) Addenbrooke's Hospital,  (c) Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital and  (d) Colchester General Hospital.

Andy Burnham: The Department has not set any requirements nationally on travel times to or between hospitals.

Whipps Cross Hospital

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the likely implications are for Whipps Cross hospital of the decision to invest in Barts hospital; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: This is a matter for the local national health service. NHS London has advised the Department that there are no direct implications for Whipps Cross University Hospitals NHS Trust of the decision to invest in the Barts and the London Hospitals NHS Trust.